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Glite Dictionary
📄 Read quickly 🕊️ Move lightly above
to skim over

to skim over

1 3.9
To move quickly and lightly just above a surface
  • phrasal verb
  • /skɪm ˈoʊvər/
translation icon : deslizarse sobre
  • "Her eyes skimmed somewhat disapprovingly over his black windbreaker, jeans, and running shoes.
  • skimmed over the water
  • skimmed over the surface
  • skim low over

Examples

  • On a clear day, the seagulls skim over the sparkling waves of the ocean.

  • Who turns, sees the anchor skimming toward him over the waves.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The skull skimmed over the surface like a water bug.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • Wind ruffled the grass and skimmed fingers over the water.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • As the chopper skims low over the redwoods,

    Fiction book (1995)

  • They skimmed over the tops of trees, trees rooted well beneath the floor that projected them.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Gently, she skimmed her fingertips over the yearling's throat.

    Fiction book (1995)

  • Her right hand skimmed lightly over the end of the table, and when she passed on towards the sofa, the carving knife had vanished.

    Academic text (2005)

  • But the film becomes repetitive and frustratingly superficial as it skims over extreme behavior seemingly driven by insecurity.

    Blog text (27)

  • The skater gracefully skimmed over the surface of the ice, performing stunning tricks.

Synonyms

to glide
vsto skim over
89 2.9

To move smoothly and without effort through the air or over a surface

is quicker and lighter, focusing on swift near-surface passage
to run
vsto skim over
85 2.3

To move a hand or object gently along a surface

is more about swift light passage just above rather than through or along
to skim
vsto skim over
1 2.9

Move quickly and lightly across the surface of water

is swift and light while staying just above or across surfaces
to skitter
vsto skim over
1 7.3

To make something move lightly and quickly across a surface, like a fishing lure

is smoother and more controlled, not abrupt or skipping
to pass over
vsto skim over
1 3.7

To move something gently over a surface

is a swift light pass just above the surface, not a rubbing action

Antonyms

to sink
258 1.0

To go down below the surface of water and become underwater

How Fast

to skim over
1 3.9
to skitter
9 6.1
to glide
89 2.9

Surface Forms

skim over infinitive
skimmed over past
skimmed over past participle
skimming over present participle
skims over third person singular

Morphology

skim + over

The meaning 'to read or examine quickly' is directly derived from combining 'skim' (to read/ glance through quickly) with 'over' (indicating scanning across or through). This verb + particle composition is a common, compositional pattern (compare Spanish 'leer por encima'/'mirar por encima') and would be predictable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Skim over comes from a clear picture: a bird or a stone that skims over water, touching the surface only for a moment. So it means 'to move quickly and lightly just above or across a surface'.