skimmed

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive or intransitive

   Read something quickly, picking out only the main ideas instead of studying each detail.

   Grammar: Can take an object (skimmed the report) or use through/over (skimmed through the report).

   Patterns

   • skimmed something
   • skimmed through something
   • skimmed over something

   She skimmed the article during her coffee break.

   I only skimmed through the contract before signing, which was a mistake.

   He skimmed over the details and went straight to the conclusion.

2. 2verbtransitive or intransitive

   Moved lightly just above or along a surface without sinking in.

   Grammar: Often followed by over or across: the stone skimmed across the lake.

   Patterns

   • skimmed over something
   • skimmed across something
   • skimmed the surface

   The stone skimmed across the water four times.

   Swallows skimmed the surface of the pond.

   The plane skimmed over the rooftops.

3. 3verbtransitive

   Took a layer of fat, cream or scum off the top of a liquid.

   Grammar: Takes an object: skimmed the cream, skimmed the soup.

   Patterns

   • skimmed something off
   • skimmed something from something

   He skimmed the foam off the soup with a spoon.

   The dairy skimmed the cream and sold it separately.

   She skimmed the fat from the stock before serving.

Common combinations

skimmed through

I skimmed through the newspaper on the train.

skimmed the surface

The report only skimmed the surface of the issue.

skimmed milk

She poured skimmed milk into her tea.

skimmed over

The speaker skimmed over the budget quickly.

skimmed the headlines

He skimmed the headlines before leaving home.

skimmed off

Greedy managers skimmed off some of the profits.

Synonyms and how they differ

scanned

Scanned usually means looking quickly for one specific piece of information, while skimmed means getting the general gist.

glanced at

Glanced at suggests a very brief look, shorter than skimming a whole text.

browsed

Browsed implies looking casually through many items with no fixed purpose, not extracting key ideas.

skipped through

Skipped through suggests leaving out chunks deliberately, while skimming still touches all the text.

Opposites

Word family

skim verb

the base form

skimmer noun

a flat tool for removing a layer from a liquid, or a person who skims

skimming noun

quick reading or the copying of card data

skim milk noun

milk with the cream removed

Commonly confused: skimmed or scanned? skimmed or skimped?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “skimmed”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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