{
    "term": "skim",
    "partOfSpeech": "verb",
    "verbForms": {
        "presentSimple": {
            "iYouWeThey": "skim",
            "heSheIt": "skims"
        },
        "pastSimple": "skimmed",
        "pastParticiple": "skimmed",
        "ingForm": "skimming"
    },
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "to remove fat, cream, etc. from the surface of a liquid",
            "sensetop": "skim something off/from somethingskim something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Skim the scum off the jam and let it cool.",
                    "contextForm": "skim something off/from something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "Skim the jam and let it cool.",
                    "contextForm": "skim something"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "to move quickly and lightly over a surface, not touching it or only touching it occasionally; to make something do this",
            "sensetop": "skim along/over, etc. somethingskim somethingskim something across, over, etc. something",
            "labels": "(figurative)(figurative)(British English)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "We watched the birds skimming over the lake.",
                    "contextForm": "skim along/over, etc. something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "We skimmed across the water in a small sailing boat."
                },
                {
                    "text": "His eyes skimmed over her face."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The speedboat took off, skimming the waves.",
                    "contextForm": "skim something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "This report has barely **skimmed the surface** of the subject."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Small boys were skimming stones across the water.",
                    "contextForm": "skim something across, over, etc. something"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adverb": ["barely", "only", "low"],
                "preposition": ["across", "over"],
                "phrases": ["skim the surface"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "to read something quickly in order to find a particular point or the main points",
            "sensetop": "skim through/over somethingskim something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He skimmed through the article trying to find his name.",
                    "contextForm": "skim through/over something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I always skim the financial section of the newspaper.",
                    "contextForm": "skim something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "I skimmed the list until I found my name."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "to steal small amounts of money frequently over a period of time",
            "sensetop": "skim something (from something)",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She’d been skimming money from the store’s accounts for years."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 5,
            "definition": "to illegally copy electronic information from a credit card in order to use it without the owner’s permission",
            "sensetop": "skim (something)",
            "cefr": "c2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "It is estimated that skimming now accounts for almost 50% of credit card fraud."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Crime and punishment"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/skɪm/",
                "audio": "sk/skim/skim__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/skɪmz/",
                "audio": "sk/skim/skims__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/skɪmd/",
                "audio": "sk/skim/skimmed__gb_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈskɪmɪŋ/",
                "audio": "sk/skim/skimming__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/skɪm/",
                "audio": "sk/skim/skim__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/skɪmz/",
                "audio": "sk/skim/skims__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/skɪmd/",
                "audio": "sk/skim/skimmed__us_1.mp3"
            },
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈskɪmɪŋ/",
                "audio": "sk/skim/skimming__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English (in the sense ‘remove scum from (a liquid)’): back-formation from skimmer, or from Old French escumer, from escume ‘scum, foam’."
}