/ slɪm; NAmE / adjective , verb , noun
■ adjective ( slim·mer , slim·mest )
1.
( approving ) ( of a person ) thin, in a way that is attractive :
a slim figure / body / waist
She was tall and slim.
How do you manage to stay so slim?
( figurative )
Many companies are a lot slimmer than they used to be (= have fewer workers) .
2.
thinner than usual :
a slim volume of poetry
3.
not as big as you would like or expect
SYN small :
a slim chance of success
The party was returned to power with a slim majority .
—see also slimmer , slimming
► slim·ness noun [ U ]
■ verb
( -mm- ) [ v ] ( BrE ) (usually used in the progressive tenses) to try to become thinner, for example by eating less
SYN diet :
You can still eat breakfast when you are slimming.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- slim down
- slim down | slim sth down
—see also slimming
■ noun
[ U ] an African word for AIDS
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 17th cent.: from Low German or Dutch (from a base meaning slanting, cross, bad), of Germanic origin.