skim

Universal Words verb (-mm-) 1 [VN] ~ (sth off / from) sth to remove fat, cream, etc. from the surface of a liquid: Skim the scum off the jam and let it cool. * Skim the jam and let it cool. 2 [nopassive] ~ (along / over, etc.) sth to move quickly and lightly over a surface, not touching it or only touching it occasionally; to make sth do this: [V] We watched the birds skimming over the lake. * (figurative) His eyes skimmed over her face. * [VN] The speedboat took off, skimming the waves. * (figurative) This report has barely skimmed the surface of the subject. * (BrE) Small boys were skimming stones across the water. seealsoSKIP 3 ~ (through / over) sth to read sth quickly in order to find a particular point or the main points: [V] He skimmed through the article trying to find his name. * [VN] I always skim the financial section of the newspaper. PHRASALVERBS skim sth/sb<->off to take for yourself the best part of sth, often in an unfair way: Private companies should not be allowed to skim off profitable sectors of the postal service.