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to skin

to skin

10 2.7
To remove the outer layer from a fruit, vegetable, or animal
  • verb
  • /skɪn/
translation icon : pelar
  • We think of ourselves as good providers, but how many can hunt, skin an animal, or grow crops?
  • skin the rabbit
  • skin a deer
  • skin the fillet

I'm going to skin you alive and eat every intestine you own.

Examples

  • Later, while Bones was sleeping, she crept into the kitchen and took from behind the drainboard the knife she'd used to skin the raccoon.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Jondalar had already removed the stomach, intestines, and other organs; perhaps they should skin it out right there and cut it into more manageable pieces.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • "I would like you to skin this sheep".

  • The women are ordered to skin the seals.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • He said he did not have the time to skin and eat it.

  • So we skin it and then get the intestines out.

  • "Then he taught me how to skin a calf."

    Blog text (20)
  • "Come on by and I'll show you how to skin a catfish."

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Skin the pumpkin before feeding it to pets or livestock to remove the pesticides used.

    Blog text (17)
  • To prepare the dish, you need to skin the tomatoes before adding them to the sauce.

Synonyms

to peel
vsto skin
126 1.0

Remove the outer skin from a fruit or vegetable before eating

is the ordinary term for removing outer layers from food or animals
to shell
vsto skin
18 2.1

To remove the hard outer covering from nuts, peas, or seafood

refers to removing softer outer layers from produce or animals
to flay
vsto skin
  • NSFW
15 9.3

To cut the skin off a person or animal, often for punishment and before cooking

is a neutral, nonviolent term for removing outer layers from items
to peel back
vsto skin
11 3.4

Remove a cover or layer by pulling it away slowly

is neutral removal without implying gradual or careful action
to peel off
vsto skin
8 3.4

To take off the outer layer by pulling it

is broader and does not require pulling as the removal method
to hull
vsto skin
4 5.5

To remove the outer covering from seeds, nuts, or fruit

is used for softer outer layer removal rather than husks or pods
to pare
vsto skin
3 4.8

To cut away the thin outer layer or the edges of things like fruit and wood

is more general and does not focus on neat trimming by cutting
to unpeel
vsto skin
1 3.4

To remove the outer covering from things like fruit or labels

shares the same meaning but is an alternate form of expression
to par
vsto skin
9.9

To remove the outer skin from fruit or vegetables

is broader, covering removal by any method not only cutting
to decorticate
vsto skin
  • Specialized
9.9

To remove the outer layer or covering from something, for example the bark of a tree

is the everyday term used for food and animal outer layer removal
to rind
vsto skin
8.1

To remove the outer skin from fruit or cheese

is more general and applies to softer outer layers as well

Idioms

25 7.2

To annoy someone again and again so they feel bothered

skin in the game
  • Informal
10 5.3

A personal stake in something like money or reputation

skin and bones
  • Informal
9 5.6

Very thin with almost no fat or muscle

6 8.8

To scold or punish someone severely to show strong anger, not a real action

Feeling calm and confident about who you are

5 7.7

To be very surprised and move suddenly because of fear

To annoy someone a lot by small things another person does

To feel comfortable and confident with who you are

Completely wet, with water going through your clothes and reaching your skin

It does not bother me if something happens

1 9.9

It does not matter to me

Cause a strong feeling of fear or disgust with a creepy physical feeling

9.4

To become less upset by criticism or problems

9.0

Not upset or harmed when something happens to someone else

to skin a flint
  • Archaic
9.9

To try very hard not to spend money even when you should

To be very unwilling to spend money, even small amounts

skin and grin
  • Informal
9.6

A friendly person who shows a big warm smile

Phrasal Verbs

1 9.9

To put drugs under the skin instead of into a vein

1 4.9

To swim underwater using only a snorkel

A wound gets covered with new skin as it heals

Compounds

32 1.7

The natural tone of a person's skin that usually comes from their parents

skin cancer
  • Specialized
30 2.5

A growth of skin cells that can be harmful, often after too much sun

skin cell
  • Specialized
14 2.7

A small living part of the skin that makes it and helps protect the body

13 1.6

A daily routine to keep your skin clean and healthy

skin graft
  • Specialized
7 3.5

A piece of healthy skin taken from one body part and placed on damaged skin to help it heal

6 3.5

Clothes that fit very closely to the body

5 4.7

Only on the surface and not deep inside

5 3.3

A problem that affects the skin, causing redness or itching

4 2.4

Part of the body not covered by clothing

4 3.0

A red, itchy area on the skin that may have spots or bumps

4 2.0

The outer layer of an animal's body that people remove and use for leather or fur

3 4.2

A very heavy outer covering on animals like elephants that protects them

Red, itchy or sore skin after touching something that causes a reaction

2 2.1

A crisp shell of potato peel fried or baked and topped with melted cheese and bacon

skin flick
  • Offensive
2 9.7

A movie that shows sexual acts for adults

skin test
  • Specialized
2 3.5

A medical test that puts a small amount of something on the skin to check for allergy or past infection

Smooth pale skin that looks delicate

skin disorder
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A health problem that makes the skin red, sore, or itchy

waste of skin
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person seen as having no value or use

1 6.2

Change in the skin's tiny electrical activity when you feel stress or strong emotion

1 3.5

Swimming underwater with a snorkel but without scuba gear

1 7.9

A bag made from animal skin that people carry to hold water

artificial skin
  • Specialized
1 4.4

A two-layer man-made material used to replace or cover damaged skin after burns

1 2.1

The outer peel that is left after you eat a banana

1 3.1

The spotted fur of a leopard or a fabric with the same spotted pattern

1 4.1

Small raised bumps on the skin when you are cold or scared

1 3.3

The fur and hide of a rabbit used to make clothes or soft craft items

1 3.2

Soft, flexible skin that looks healthy

skin elasticity
  • Specialized
1 4.1

How well the skin stretches and goes back to its normal shape

skin eruption
  • Specialized
1 4.9

Raised red or swollen patches that suddenly appear on the skin

skin doctor
  • Informal
1 3.4

A doctor who treats skin problems like rashes and eczema

skin tumor
  • Specialized
1 4.6

A growth on the skin that may be harmless or cancerous

skin patch
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A small sticky pad that slowly sends medicine into the body

Things you do to keep your skin safe from dangers like the sun or chemicals

1 5.0

A person who swims underwater with a mask and fins for fun or sport

A condition that makes the skin red, sore, or itchy

6.5

A change in the skin's electrical signal when someone feels stress or strong emotion

artificial skin
  • Specialized
4.5

A flexible man-made covering that senses touch and temperature on robot hands and replacement limbs

A robe made from a leopard's fur worn by leaders at ceremonies

rabbit skin
  • Specialized
7.2

A strong glue made by boiling rabbit hide for sticking wood or canvas

tuberculin skin test
  • Specialized
5.0

A test that checks if you have been exposed to tuberculosis bacteria by putting a small medicine under the skin

skin effect
  • Specialized
9.2

High-frequency electric current flows mostly near a wire's surface instead of through the whole wire

A feeling you have on the surface of the skin

Feelings you get through your skin, like touch and temperature

skin patch
  • Specialized
3.5

A small sticky pad with sensors that record or send health data

A problem that looks small but does not fix the real cause

5.6

An activity of swimming underwater using only a snorkel

9.3

A person at high risk of skin cancer from too much sun

How Violent

to flay
  • NSFW
15 9.3
to skin
10 2.7
to peel
126 1.0

Surface Forms

skin infinitive
skinned past
skinned past participle
skinning present participle
skins third person singular

Etymology

Skin as a verb to remove the skin comes from the noun skin ('hide'), so to skin something is to take off its outer cover.