Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun One that skims, such as a large perforated spoon used in skimming liquids.
  • noun A light, usually straw hat with a stiff wide brim and a flat shallow crown.
  • noun Any of several chiefly coastal seabirds of the genus Rynchops, having long narrow wings and an elongated lower mandible that is used to skim the water's surface for food, especially the black skimmer.
  • noun Any of various dragonflies chiefly of the family Libellulidae, often found near lakes and ponds.
  • noun A device, usually resembling a machine for making electronic transactions, that illicitly copies the information on a credit card for use in skimming frauds.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun One who or that which skims; especially, an implement used for skimming.
  • noun A flat shallow pan of metal perforated at the bottom to allow liquids to drain through; a colander.
  • noun A stiff bar of iron used in a foundry to hold back the floating slag while pouring molten metal from the ladle.
  • noun One of several bivalves whose shells may be used to skim milk, etc.
  • noun The common clam, Mya arenaria.
  • noun The big beach-clam, Mactra or Spisula solidissima.
  • noun A scallop, as Pecten maximus.
  • noun One who skims over a subject; a superficial student or reader.
  • noun A bird that skims or shears the water, as any member of the genus Rhynchops; a cutwater, Shearwater, or Scissorbill.
  • To skim lightly to and fro.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun One who, or that which, skims; esp., a utensil with which liquids are skimmed.
  • noun (Zoöl.) Any species of longwinged marine birds of the genus Rhynchops, allied to the terns, but having the lower mandible compressed and much longer than the upper one. These birds fly rapidly along the surface of the water, with the lower mandible immersed, thus skimming out small fishes. The American species (R. nigra) is common on the southern coasts of the United States. Called also scissorbill, and shearbill.
  • noun (Zoöl.) Any one of several large bivalve shells, sometimes used for skimming milk, as the sea clams, and large scallops.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A device that skims.
  • noun A person who skims.
  • noun Any of three species of bird in the genus Rynchops of the family Laridae, that feed by skimming the surface of water bodies with their bills in flight.
  • noun Any of several large bivalve shells, sometimes used for skimming milk, such as the sea clams and large scallops.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a cooking utensil used to skim fat from the surface of liquids
  • noun a rapid superficial reader
  • noun a stiff hat made of straw with a flat crown
  • noun gull-like seabird that flies along the surface of the water with an elongated lower mandible immersed to skim out food

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

skim +‎ -er

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word skimmer.

Examples

  • My advice: trash it quickly. @bit101: skimmer privacy policy: Partners Subsidiaries and Affiliates: We may share your information ... @nymphobrainiac: @bit101 also #skimmer collects your PII data and shares it w / affiliates.

    Recently Uploaded Slideshows 2009

  • The Secret Service learned in December that a Bank of America ATM in Saugus had been rigged with the scanner device, called a skimmer, and a pinhole camera, according to a court affidavit from a Secret Service agent.

    Alleged ATM Skimmer Crooks Caught Near Boston - The Consumerist 2010

  • This was an exceptionally well-disguised skimmer, which is what makes it scary.

    Would This ATM Skimmer Have Fooled You? - The Consumerist 2010

  • A skimmer is a piece of equipment dragged by a ship to corral surface oil so that it can be burned or vacuumed up.

    White House mocks Hayward's yachting -- and defends Obama's golf outing 2010

  • This tool, called a skimmer, is great for removing meat and vegetables while letting the flavorful stock run back into the pan.

    How to Make Beef Stock Kalyn Denny 2007

  • It's believed a device called a skimmer was placed over the card reader at an automated gas pump.

    CNN Transcript Dec 23, 2006 2006

  • Here's how it works: Crooks attach an inexpensive device called a skimmer inside or onto a gas pump.

    unknown title 2011

  • Durkan said she didn't notice an ATM she used last month was outfitted with a credit card reader, also known as a skimmer, and a hidden camera to record the ATM keypad as she entered her PIN.

    msnbc.com: Top msnbc.com headlines 2011

  • Another kind of shrimp net, called a skimmer, is not required to have an excluder device -- instead, the length of time the skimmers can be dragged is limited by law to give trapped turtles a chance to come up for air.

    post-gazette.com - News 2010

  • Also known as a skimmer, the boater hat boasts a stiff brim and flat top and usually have a ribbon wrapped around them.

    Home | Mail Online 2010

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • v. to shine; to glitter. PROVINCIALISMS OF EAST YORKSHIRE;BY MR. MARSHALL; 1788.

    January 12, 2018