skim off
phrasal verb
skimmed off; skimming off; skims off
1
: to remove a layer of (something) from the surface of a liquid
She skimmed the cream off the milk.
2
: to take (something valuable) for oneself out of something else
He skimmed off some of the profits.
Examples of skim off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Any remaining plastic floats to the surface and is skimmed off.
—
Vince Beiser, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming off foam, 2 to 3 hours.
—Kelly Brant, arkansasonline.com, 26 Nov. 2024
During World War I, hungry soldiers lobbed grenades into the river and skimmed off the dead fish.
—Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
In finance, however, the opposite occurred: the new instruments gave birth to increasingly complex financial chains and a new army of middlemen who were skimming off fees at every stage.
—Gillian Tett, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
As the sociologist Max Weber noted, before the onset of modernization, instead of receiving sufficient, stable salaries from state budgets, most public agents financed themselves through the prerogatives of office—for example, skimming off a share of fees and taxes for themselves.
—Yuen Yuen Ang, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018
Currently, there are big settling tanks where grease and oil float to the top and are skimmed off and disposed of.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 25 July 2024
The affair is a harbinger of future fights: with less cream to skim off, the politically connected will have to start stealing their share from one another.
—Joshua Yaffa, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2015
Both are funded by skimming off 15 to 20 cents from every 100 pounds of milk produced, which generates over $400 million annually for a sprawling web of advertising and research organizations.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 31 May 2024
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Vince Beiser, WIRED, 30 Nov. 2024
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, skimming off foam, 2 to 3 hours.
—Kelly Brant, arkansasonline.com, 26 Nov. 2024
During World War I, hungry soldiers lobbed grenades into the river and skimmed off the dead fish.
—Ellen Ruppel Shell, Smithsonian Magazine, 20 Nov. 2024
In finance, however, the opposite occurred: the new instruments gave birth to increasingly complex financial chains and a new army of middlemen who were skimming off fees at every stage.
—Gillian Tett, Foreign Affairs, 11 June 2019
As the sociologist Max Weber noted, before the onset of modernization, instead of receiving sufficient, stable salaries from state budgets, most public agents financed themselves through the prerogatives of office—for example, skimming off a share of fees and taxes for themselves.
—Yuen Yuen Ang, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2018
Currently, there are big settling tanks where grease and oil float to the top and are skimmed off and disposed of.
—Caitlin Looby, Journal Sentinel, 25 July 2024
The affair is a harbinger of future fights: with less cream to skim off, the politically connected will have to start stealing their share from one another.
—Joshua Yaffa, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2015
Both are funded by skimming off 15 to 20 cents from every 100 pounds of milk produced, which generates over $400 million annually for a sprawling web of advertising and research organizations.
—Kenny Torrella, Vox, 31 May 2024
Dictionary Entries Near skim off
Cite this Entry
“Skim off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skim%20off. Accessed 16 Dec. 2024.
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