American Heritage Dictionary Entry: trim HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key. Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window. guide to the dictionary THE USAGE PANEL The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions. The Panelists NEED HELP SOLVING A CROSSWORD PUZZLE? Go to our Crossword Puzzle Solver and type in the letters that you know, and the Solver will produce a list of possible solutions. -- AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android. THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more. OPEN DICTIONARY PROJECT Share your ideas for new words and new meanings of old words! Start Sharing Now! -- See word lists from the best-selling 100 Words Series! Find out more! INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES? Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com trim (trĭm) Share: Tweet v. trimmed, trim·ming, trims v.tr. 1. To make neat or tidy by clipping, smoothing, or pruning: trimmed his moustache; trimmed the hedges. 2. a. To remove the excess or unwanted parts from: trimmed the pie crust; trimmed the budget. b. To remove (excess or unwanted parts): trimmed the rotten wood; trimmed the fat from the budget. c. To lose (weight or fat) deliberately, as by exercise or dieting. 3. a. To decorate, especially by adding a border or contrasting element: trim a blouse. b. To arrange with display items: trim a store window. 4. Informal a. To thrash; beat. b. To defeat soundly: trimmed their opponents in the first game. c. To cheat out of money: trimmed him of every dollar he had. d. To rebuke; scold. 5. Nautical a. To adjust (the sails and yards) so that they receive the wind properly. b. To balance (a ship) by shifting its cargo or contents. 6. To balance (an aircraft) in flight by regulating the control surfaces and tabs. v.intr. 1. Nautical a. To be in or retain equilibrium. b. To make sails and yards ready for sailing. 2. a. To affect or maintain cautious neutrality. b. To fashion one's views for momentary popularity or advantage. 3. To lose weight deliberately. Often used with down. n. 1. a. A cutting or clipping to make neat: My hair needs a trim. b. An excess or unwanted part that has been removed: cut off the trim. 2. a. State of order, arrangement, or appearance; condition: in good trim. b. A condition of good health or fitness: keeping her body in trim. 3. a. Exterior ornamentation, such as moldings or framework, on a building or vehicle. b. Decoration or ornament, as for clothing. c. Material used in commercial window displays. 4. often trims Excised or rejected material, such as film that has been cut in editing. 5. Nautical a. The readiness of a vessel for sailing with regard to ballast, sails, and yards. b. The balance of a ship. c. The difference between the draft at the bow and at the stern. 6. The balance of rotational forces around the various axes of an aircraft in flight. adj. trim·mer, trim·mest 1. a. In good or neat order. b. In good physical condition; fit; slim: a trim figure. 2. Having lines, edges, or forms of neat and pleasing simplicity. adv. In a trim manner. [Middle English trimmen, to make firm, from Old English trymman, from trum, strong; see deru- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] trimly adv. trimness n. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved. Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices: Indo-European Roots Semitic Roots The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots. American Heritage Dictionary Products The American Heritage Dictionary, 5th Edition The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms The American Heritage Roget's Thesaurus Curious George's Dictionary The American Heritage Children's Dictionary CONTACT US Customer Service Make Me An Author Ebooks Help with Glose Reader ABOUT US Company Profile Leadership Team Corporate Social Responsibility HarperCollins Careers HarperCollins Imprints HarperGreen Social Media Directory Accessibility FOR READERS Browse Reading Guides FOR AUTHORS Submit a Manuscript Report Piracy Agent Portal MEDIA Publicity Contacts Press Room SERVICES HarperCollins Speakers Bureau Library Services Academic Services Desk & Exam Copies Review Copies OpenBook API Marketing Partnerships COVID-19 RESOURCES & PERMISSIONS Permissions for Adult Online Readings Permissions for Kids Online Readings SALES & RIGHTS Booksellers & Retailer Ordering HarperCollins Catalogs Permissions Subsidiary Rights Media Rights and Content Development GLOSE APP iPhone Android GLOBAL DIVISIONS HarperCollins US HarperCollins Canada HarperCollins Christian HarperCollins Australia HarperCollins India HarperCollins UK Terms of Use • Terms of Sale • Your Ad Choices • Privacy Policy • California Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Personal Information Copyright 2022 HarperCollins Publishers All rights reserved. *This website is best viewed in Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, or Safari. Some characters in pronunciations and etymologies cannot be displayed properly in Internet Explorer.