trim

/trɪm/

/trɪm/

Other forms: trimmed; trimming; trims; trimmest

When you cut something, literally or figuratively, you trim it. If you have steady hands, you can trim your own bangs. If you don't have steady hands, you can save up for a professional haircut by trimming the amount of money you spend on comics and snacks.

A landscaper trims the grass and shrubs, and a cook trims fat off of meat before cooking it. But when you trim the Christmas tree, you decorate it, and when a sailor trims the sails, she adjusts them so they'll catch the wind just right. And as a noun, a trim is "an act of cutting," while trim is "decoration." All forms of this word are rooted in nautical language.

Definitions of trim

1. verb

   cut down on; make a reduction in
   synonyms: bring down, cut, cut back, cut down, reduce, trim back, trim down

   cut

   have a reducing effect

   types:

   shorten

   make shorter than originally intended; reduce or retrench in length or duration

   spill

   reduce the pressure of wind on (a sail)

   quench

   reduce the degree of (luminescence or phosphorescence) in (excited molecules or a material) by adding a suitable substance

   retrench

   make a reduction, as in one's workforce

   slash

   cut drastically

   thin out

   make sparse

   thin

   make thin or thinner

   detract, take away

   take away a part from; diminish

   deflate

   reduce or cut back the amount or availability of, creating a decline in value or prices

   inflate

   increase the amount or availability of, creating a rise in value

   downsize

   reduce in size or number

   subduct, subtract

   take off or away

   knock off, shave

   cut the price of

   foreshorten

   shorten lines in a drawing so as to create an illusion of depth

   clip, curtail, cut short

   terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end or its full extent

   syncopate

   omit a sound or letter in a word

   cut short, truncate

   make shorter as if by cutting off

   draw

   reduce the diameter of (a wire or metal rod) by pulling it through a die

   clip, crop, cut back, dress, lop, prune, snip

   cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of

   mark down

   reduce the price of

   type of:

   decrease, lessen, minify

   make smaller
2. verb

   cut closely
   “trim my beard”

   synonyms: shave

   types:

   fleece, shear

   shear the wool from

   type of:

   cut

   shorten as if by severing the edges or ends of
3. verb

   remove the edges from and cut down to the desired size
   “trim the photograph”

   “trim lumber”

   synonyms: pare

   types:

   dress

   cut down rough-hewn (lumber) to standard thickness and width

   type of:

   cut

   separate with or as if with an instrument
4. verb

   cultivate, tend, and cut back the growth of
   synonyms: clip, crop, cut back, dress, lop, prune, snip

   types:

   shear

   cut with shears

   poll, pollard

   convert into a pollard

   pinch, top

   cut the top off

   disbud

   thin out buds to improve the quality of the remaining flowers

   tail

   remove the stalk of fruits or berries

   type of:

   thin out

   make sparse
5. noun

   cutting down to the desired size or shape
   synonyms: clipping, trimming

   types:

   pruning

   the act of trimming a plant

   type of:

   cut, cutting, cutting off

   the act of shortening something by chopping off the ends
6. adjective

   thin and fit
   “a body kept trim by exercise”

   synonyms: spare

   lean, thin

   lacking excess flesh
7. adjective

   neat and smart in appearance
   “a trim beard”

   synonyms: clean-cut, trig

   tidy

   marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits
8. adjective

   of places; characterized by order and neatness; free from disorder
   “a trim little sailboat”

   synonyms: shipshape, well-kept

   tidy

   marked by order and cleanliness in appearance or habits
9. adjective

   severely simple in line or design
   synonyms: tailored

   plain

   not elaborate or elaborated; simple
10. verb

    decorate, as with ornaments
    “trim the christmas tree”

    “trim a shop window”

    type of:

    adorn, beautify, decorate, embellish, grace, ornament

    make more attractive by adding ornament, color, etc.
11. verb

    decorate (food), as with parsley or other ornamental foods
    synonyms: dress, garnish

    dress, dress out

    kill and prepare for market or consumption

    dress

    put a dressing on

    type of:

    adorn, beautify, decorate, embellish, grace, ornament

    make more attractive by adding ornament, color, etc.
12. noun

    a decoration or adornment on a garment
    “the trimming on a hat”

    “the trim on a shirt”

    synonyms: passementerie, trimming

    types:

    braid, braiding, gold braid

    trimming used to decorate clothes or curtains

    miniver

    trimming on ceremonial robes consisting of white or light grey fur

    rickrack, ricrac

    a narrow zigzag ribbon used as trimming

    aglet, aiglet, aiguillette

    ornamental tagged cord or braid on the shoulder of a uniform

    soutache

    a narrow braid used as a decorative trimming

    type of:

    adornment

    a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness
13. noun

    a state of arrangement or appearance
    “in good trim”

    synonyms: trimness

    type of:

    neatness, spruceness

    the state of being neat and smart and trim
14. verb

    adjust (sails on a ship) so that the wind is optimally used
    type of:

    adjust, correct, set

    alter or regulate so as to achieve accuracy or conform to a standard
15. verb

    balance in flight by regulating the control surfaces
    “trim an airplane”

    type of:

    balance, equilibrate, equilibrise, equilibrize

    bring into balance or equilibrium
16. verb

    be in equilibrium during a flight
    “The airplane trimmed”

    type of:

    be

    have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
17. noun

    attitude of an aircraft in flight when allowed to take its own orientation
    type of:

    attitude

    position of aircraft or spacecraft relative to a frame of reference (the horizon or direction of motion)