I. trim 1 /trɪm/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle trimmed , present participle trimming ) [transitive]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: trymian , trymman 'to strengthen, arrange' , from trum 'strong, firm' ]
1 . CUT to make something look neater by cutting small pieces off it:
Pete was trimming the lawn around the roses.
I have my hair trimmed every six weeks.
trim something away/off
Trim away any excess glue with a knife.
2 . REDUCE to reduce a number, amount, or the size of something:
We need to trim costs by £500m.
The bill would trim the number of immigrants to the US.
trim something from/off something
The company trimmed £46,000 from its advertising budget.
3 . DECORATE [usually passive] to decorate something, especially clothes, by adding things that look pretty
trim something with something
a dress trimmed with lace
At Christmas, the whole family helps trim the tree.
4 . SAIL to move the sails of a boat in order to go faster
trim something ↔ back phrasal verb
to make something shorter or smaller:
Trim the stems back carefully.
Most airlines have trimmed back their operations.
trim down phrasal verb
to lose weight deliberately:
Anne has trimmed down from 22 stone to 18.
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THESAURUS
▪ cut to divide something into two or more pieces, especially using a knife or ↑ scissors :
Do you want me to cut the cake?
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He cut off the lower branches.
▪ snip to quickly cut something, especially using ↑ scissors :
I snipped the label off.
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The hairdresser snipped away at her hair.
▪ slit to make a long narrow cut through something, especially using a knife:
He slit the envelope open with a penknife.
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She slit through the plastic covering.
▪ slash to cut something quickly and violently with a knife, making a long thin cut:
Someone had slashed the tyres on his car.
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He tried to slash his wrists.
▪ saw to cut wood, using a ↑ saw (=a tool with a row of sharp points) :
Saw the wood to the correct length.
▪ chop to cut wood, vegetables, or meat into pieces:
Bill was outside chopping up firewood with an axe.
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They chopped down the old tree.
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finely chopped onion
▪ slice to cut bread, meat, or vegetables into thin pieces:
I’ll slice the cucumber.
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Slice the bread thinly.
▪ dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
First dice the apple into cubes.
▪ grate to cut cheese or a hard vegetable by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the vegetables.
▪ peel to cut the outside part off something such as a potato or apple:
I peeled the potatoes and put them in a saucepan.
▪ carve to cut thin pieces from a large piece of meat:
Uncle Ray carved the turkey.
▪ mow to cut the grass in a garden, park etc:
A gardener was mowing the lawn.
▪ trim ( also clip ) to cut a small amount off something, especially to make it look neater:
He was trimming his beard.
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Trim the excess fat off the meat.
II. trim 2 BrE AmE adjective
1 . a person who is trim is thin in an attractive healthy way SYN slim :
I play tennis to keep trim.
a trim figure
2 . neat and well cared for:
trim suburban gardens
III. trim 3 BrE AmE noun
1 . [singular] when something is cut to make it look neater:
My beard needs a trim.
2 . in (good) trim informal in good condition
keep/get (something) in trim
If you want to get in trim for summer, try aerobics.
My job was to keep the garden in trim.
3 . [singular, uncountable] additional decoration on a car, piece of clothing etc:
suede sandals with gold trim
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THESAURUS
▪ decoration noun [countable usually plural] something pretty that you put in a place or onto something to make it look attractive, especially for special occasions:
Half a dozen girls volunteered to put up decorations for the dance.
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We're making our own Christmas decorations this year.
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You could use the ribbon as a decoration.
▪ ornament [countable] a small pretty object that is used in a room or house to make it look more attractive:
The shelves were crammed with ornaments and souvenirs.
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a glass ornament
▪ knick-knacks [plural] small inexpensive objects used to decorate a room:
The shop sold cheap knick-knacks for tourists.
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She had dusted all the ornaments and knick-knacks.
▪ garnish [countable] a small amount of food that is used to make a dish look nice or add taste to it:
Serve the fish with a garnish of lemon.
▪ trim [singular, uncountable] decoration on a car, object, or piece of clothing that goes along the length of it:
a white skirt with black trim along the hem
▪ frills [plural] a decoration on the edge of a piece of cloth that is made of many small folds in the cloth:
a white blouse with frills at the cuffs
▪ embellishment [uncountable and countable] formal something that is added in order to make another thing seem more attractive:
the colourful embellishments on a medieval manuscript
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His style is simple and without embellishment.