Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To make neat or tidy by clipping, smoothing, or pruning.
- intransitive verb To remove the excess or unwanted parts from.
- intransitive verb To remove (excess or unwanted parts).
- intransitive verb To lose (weight or fat) deliberately, as by exercise or dieting.
- intransitive verb To decorate, especially by adding a border or contrasting element.
- intransitive verb To arrange with display items.
- intransitive verb To thrash; beat.
- intransitive verb To defeat soundly.
- intransitive verb To cheat out of money.
- intransitive verb To rebuke; scold.
- intransitive verb To adjust (the sails and yards) so that they receive the wind properly.
- intransitive verb To balance (a ship) by shifting its cargo or contents.
- intransitive verb To balance (an aircraft) in flight by regulating the control surfaces and tabs.
- intransitive verb To be in or retain equilibrium.
- intransitive verb To make sails and yards ready for sailing.
- intransitive verb To affect or maintain cautious neutrality.
- intransitive verb To fashion one's views for momentary popularity or advantage.
- intransitive verb To lose weight deliberately. Often used with down.
- noun A cutting or clipping to make neat.
- noun An excess or unwanted part that has been removed.
- noun State of order, arrangement, or appearance; condition.
- noun A condition of good health or fitness.
- noun Exterior ornamentation, such as moldings or framework, on a building or vehicle.
- noun Decoration or ornament, as for clothing.
- noun Material used in commercial window displays.
- noun Excised or rejected material, such as film that has been cut in editing.
- noun The readiness of a vessel for sailing with regard to ballast, sails, and yards.
- noun The balance of a ship.
- noun The difference between the draft at the bow and at the stern.
- noun The position of an aircraft relative to its horizontal axis.
- adjective In good or neat order.
- adjective In good physical condition; fit; slim.
- adjective Having lines, edges, or forms of neat and pleasing simplicity.
- adverb In a trim manner.
from The Century Dictionary.
- In a trim manner; trimly.
- noun The difference in draft at the bow of a vessel from that at the stern.
- noun Adjustment; order; condition; arrangement.
- noun Nautical, the state of a ship, or of her cargo, ballast, spars, etc., with reference to her fitness for sailing.
- noun Mode of appearance or equipment; guise; garb; especially, the becoming or prescribed mode of dress, ornament, etc.; the fashion; full dress; of a ship, full sail.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word trim.
Examples
-
An 'now as you' aye your figger'ead in trim, wot I want to know is, wot's it to you?
-
He had been accustomed to her only in trim tailor suits and shirtwaists, or in riding costume of velvet corduroy, and he was not prepared for this new revelation.
Chapter XVIII 2010
-
The cuts have helped Spain trim its central government deficit by half through July but the unemployment rate stands at 20 percent, and many businesses are struggling to survive.
Anti-Austerity Protests Sweep Across Europe (PHOTOS) The Huffington Post News Team 2010
-
There was not enough on the bolt for me, so I added the trim from the lace curtain, to lengthen the sleeves.
-
The cuts have helped Spain trim its central government deficit by half through July but the unemployment rate stands at 20%, and many businesses are struggling to survive.
European day of protests and strikes: live updates Matthew Weaver 2010
-
The trim is made by tracing around the curved edges of the box and cutting with decorative edge scissors.
One More Altered Box 2009
-
There was not enough on the bolt for me, so I added the trim from the lace curtain, to lengthen the sleeves.
Archive 2009-07-01 2009
-
The trim is made by tracing around the curved edges of the box and cutting with decorative edge scissors.
Archive 2009-01-01 2009
-
You are right, Lady Lydia, trim is the most expensive part of any dress, which is why it is good to repurpose them and/or find less expensive ways to achieve the same effect.
Inspirational Sewing 2009
-
Today he wore a mint green tuxedo jacket with emerald green satin trim and a matching ruffly tuxedo shirt.
-
In an altogether fantastic 1972 Playboy interview, Fuller introduces the “trim tab” — a small mechanism that helps stabilize an enormous ship or aircraft — which would became a central metaphor in his philosophy.
The Magic of the “Trim Tab”: Buckminster Fuller on the Greatest Key to Transformation and Growth Maria Popova 2022
oroboros commented on the word trim
Contronymic in the sense: add to (as a Christmas tree) vs. remove.
January 31, 2007