slim1 adjectiveslim2 verb
slimslim1 /slɪm/ ●●○ S3 adjective (comparative slimmer, superlative slimmest) 
WORD ORIGINslim1
Origin:
1600-1700 Dutch ‘bad, of low quality’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a slim crescent moon
- a slim margin of profit
- a slim volume of poetry
- Claude gave me a slim gold box for holding my business cards.
- Mrs Ester was in her late thirties, about average height, with a slim figure.
- Rob took a slim volume from the shelf.
- She looks great -- how does she stay so slim?
- She was tall, slim, blond, and really good-looking.
- You're looking slimmer - have you lost weight?
- A slim, energetic woman, Kim moved to the United States as a teenager.
- He led the way, his slim hips in the tight fitting pants snaking gracefully between the tables.
- In such situations, hopes for a less active, more cautious and realistic, less expansive foreign policy were slim.
- The D-777 is so slim, says Sony, that a digital readout could not be built in as on other portables.
- The suits are slim and elegant without being flashy or unsettling.
- They were slim, pale and elegant, and she wore colourless or pearl nail varnish.
- This creature, shaped like a slim leaf about 6 centimetres long, lives half-buried in the sand of the sea floor.
- You are slim, and rather beautiful.
THESAURUSperson
having little fat on your body: · a tall, thin man
thin in an attractive way: · her slim figure· a slim woman in her fifties· Magazines are always full of advice about how to stay slim.
written thin in an attractive and graceful way – used especially about parts of the body, and used especially about women: · her long, slender legs· She is slender, with very fair hair.
thin and looking healthy and fit: · his lean body· He was lean and looked like a runner.
very thin in a way that is not attractive: · a skinny teenager· Your arms are so skinny!
written thin and delicate: · a small, slight girl with big eyes
very thin, small, and weak-looking: · a scrawny kid in blue jeans
below the usual weight for someone of your height, and therefore too thin: · He had no appetite and remained underweight.
written very thin and pale, especially because of illness or continued worry: · He looked gaunt and had not shaved for days.
written extremely thin and weak, because you are ill or not getting enough to eat: · The tents were filled with emaciated refugees.
written used about someone who is so thin that you can see the shape of their bones: · The soldiers were shocked by the skeletal figures of the camp’s prisoners.
used about someone who is extremely thin because they have a mental illness that makes them stop eating: · Her daughter is anorexic.· anorexic teenagers
object/material not wide: · a thin slice of cake· a thin layer of ice· The gold was very thin.
thin, especially in a way that looks attractive: · a slim volume of poetry· a slim mobile phone· a slim wooden box
written tall or long and thin, in a way that looks attractive, but is often not very strong: · the slender columns that supported the roof· The spider was hanging by a slender thread.
extremely thin, like paper: · The walls of the apartment were paper-thin.· wafer-thin slices of pastry· The petals are paper-thin.
Longman Language Activatorthin in an attractive way · She was tall, slim, blond, and really good-looking.· Mrs Ester was in her late thirties, about average height, with a slim figure.· You're looking slimmer - have you lost weight?stay slim · She looks great -- how does she stay so slim?
thin in an attractive and graceful way: · Gabriel was a tall slender young man with a light brown moustache.· Mandy was slender and very fair with long golden hair.· She had long, slender expressive hands, like a concert pianist.
a woman or girl who is willowy is attractively tall and thin in a graceful way -- used especially in romantic novels: · In contrast to Francesca, who was tall and willowy, Diana was small and curvy.· Anastasia was willowy and graceful, with grey eyes and long, straight red hair.
flat and thin · a thin slice of bread· In her pocket was a thin leather wallet containing six ten dollar bills.· The lake was covered with a thin layer of ice.· How do you get your sugar cookies so thin, Dagmar?
extremely thin - use this about thin pieces of food or about walls that are very thin: · paper-thin slices of raw beef· The walls in this apartment are paper-thin; I can hear everything they're saying next door.
a book, box etc that is slim is thin in an attractive way and usually of good quality: · Claude gave me a slim gold box for holding my business cards.· a slim volume of poetry
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
There’s only a slim chance that anyone survived the crash. a slim volume of poetryCOLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Companies are put off investing in poor areas because of the meagre pickings to be had.
1someone who is slim is attractively thin SYN slender: There’s only a slim chance that anyone survived the crash. a slim volume of poetry· She was very strong despite her slender build.
· He only has a very small chance of being elected.· There’s a slight chance of some sunshine in the west.
(=a very small majority)· The proposal was passed by a slim majority.
Companies are put off investing in poor areas because of the meagre pickings to be had.· Her dark hair spilled over her narrow shoulders.
(=having a thin, thick etc waist)
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Overweight individuals tend not to be so relaxed about fluctuations in body size as slim people.· Unlike Gaunt, he knew his chances were as slim as a dipstick.
· Q How do you manage to stay so slim?· The D-777 is so slim, says Sony, that a digital readout could not be built in as on other portables.· Jim-who by this time was not quite so slim - was fined £415 and banned for six months.· The audio is livelier than the hard-copy edition, which is so slim that little was excised for the audio presentation.· She was so slim that she seemed to have no breadth whatever.
· One was very slim and ladylike, written in 1947 and entitled White Linen after one of Christabel's lyrics.· But through it all, the majestic wolf has maintained its grip on existence, albeit by some very slim margins.· But swimsuits are the attire of the brave and very slim.· The book is very pretty and very slim.· But very slim and of average height.· She was about twenty-seven, tall and very slim.· These are very slim and will make you feel more comfortable.
NOUN· In her bedroom she buried her face in the pillow while numerous sobs escaped her, shaking her slim body uncontrollably.· She dried herself, wrapped the soft, fragrant robe around her slim body and cautiously descended the staircase.· Her slim body shakes with electric shocks as paramedics try to restart her heart.· It was followed by a slim body and long legs, clad in light blue denim with scuffs, tears and patches.· Robyn shivered and wrapped her arms ineffectually around her slim body.· Hated that slim body with its perfect skin which always nestled into Jacob's embrace.
· She's described as five foot three, with blonde permed hair, slim build and green eyes.· She had specified fair hair, slim build, regular features, smooth skin.· You have such a lovely slim build.
· Despite the firm's dire financial health, they have a slim chance of pulling this off.· There was now only a slim chance of escape.· Poulsen later lost in the semifinals, ending Poe's slim chances of being able to fight for even a bronze medal.· There is a slim chance that you will have to make up the shortfall.· I've got a slim chance to do something.
· Surviving daguerreotype self-portraits reveal a slim figure with strongly chiselled features.· At that moment a slim figure flung itself out of the shadows to tumble Lefevre's giant adversary from his feet.· Although ever watchful of her enviously slim figure she was not obsessive, and loved to dine out.· You will like your new image and that will be the best insurance policy you have for maintaining your new slim figure.
· Clearly the case was not a straight forward one; the judgement had a slim majority of five votes to four.· In the end, a slim majority of voters decided they wanted Brown and change, instead of Owens.· A slim majority of 52 percent said martial law harmed the country, while 43 percent said dictatorship brought benefits.· But a slim majority think the commission should act first to prevent testing companies from developing the standards.
· Even so Adenauer was only elected Chancellor by a slim margin - 202 votes out of 404.· But through it all, the majestic wolf has maintained its grip on existence, albeit by some very slim margins.· The result is a slim margin of profit.· That will mean much slimmer margins.
· The overweight people would eat more rapidly than the slim people.· This has been shown in several scientific experiments which invariably indicate that overweight people eat more quickly than slim people.· Most slim people do not behave this way.· Most people, even slim people, over-indulge from time to time.· Overweight individuals tend not to be so relaxed about fluctuations in body size as slim people.· Therefore let us consider next not the myth, but the reality of the eating habits of slim people.· What slim people are actually like in terms of food intake Food preferences are obviously a very individual matter.
· The average over-weight person tends to imagine the slim person's day to go something like this.· The slim person will have a couple of chocolates in the day, then stop.· The slim person, if busy, might delay or even miss a meal.· However, recent research indicates that the slim person is not necessarily eating in a way to promote maximum health.
· He followed her and cupped her slim shoulders in his big, comforting hands.· It wells up her perfectly tanned throat and finally she starts to shake, honey blonde hair cascading over slim shoulders.· Yes, the fine curve, the slim shoulders, all the model-speak.
· I made a careful note of this exchange in the slim volume in which I stashed anything that sounded like wisdom.· Each is a slim volume but so packed with useful information and recipes that the price of £4.99 seems modest.· This slim volume is essential reading for all involved with Letters of Credit.· This is a suitably slimmer volume on one of his wives, Rita Hayworth.
a slim young woman a slim waist► see thesaurus at thin2very small in amount or number SYN slender: There’s only a slim chance that anyone survived the crash. The Republicans held a slim majority in the Senate.3not wide or thick SYN thin: a slim volume of poetryslim1 adjectiveslim2 verb
slimslim2 verb (past tense and past participle slimmed, present participle slimming) VERB TABLE
slim
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | slim |
| he, she, it | slims | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | slimmed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have slimmed |
| he, she, it | has slimmed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had slimmed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will slim |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have slimmed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am slimming |
| he, she, it | is slimming | |
| you, we, they | are slimming | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was slimming |
| you, we, they | were slimming | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been slimming |
| he, she, it | has been slimming | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been slimming |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be slimming |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been slimming |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- Changing market conditions will have slimmed that list, but the gallery can count upon an enthusiastic response from its collectors.
- In that report we have proposed a Council slimmed down in terms both of numbers and committees.
- Many are reacting by slimming their presence at shows drastically and pulling out of some altogether.
Longman Language Activatorto become thinner
to become thinner, either because you have been ill or because you want to look more attractive, be healthier etc: · The best way to lose weight is to eat less and do lots of exercise.· I'm really worried about my grandmother -- she's lost a lot of weight recently.lose three kilos/five pounds etc: · Alec lost seven pounds in a week and had to be re-admitted to the hospital.
to eat less food than usual, or to eat only certain foods, because you want to become thinner and weigh less: · "Would you like some chocolate?" "No thanks, I'm on a diet."go on a diet (=start to be on a diet): · We're both going on a diet after Christmas.
especially British to become thinner, especially by eating less and doing more exercise: · She's really slimmed down a lot since I last saw her.slim down to eight stone/100 pounds etc: · He's trying to slim down to eleven stone.
to lose a particular amount of weight quickly: · I'd like to shed a few pounds.· Stone's doctor ordered him to shed some weight and quit smoking.· Gascoigne has shed nearly 6 kilos in pre-season training and looks much fitter.
to become dangerously thin and weak, usually as a result of illness: · There was nothing we could do -- she just wasted away and within six weeks she was dead.· His muscles were slowly wasting away because of his illness.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES Companies are put off investing in poor areas because of the meagre pickings to be had.
[intransitive] British English to make yourself thinner by eating less, taking a lot of exercise etc—slimmer noun [countable]slim down phrasal verb1to reduce the size or number of something, or to become reduced in size or numberslim something ↔ down· She was very strong despite her slender build.
· He only has a very small chance of being elected.· There’s a slight chance of some sunshine in the west.
(=a very small majority)· The proposal was passed by a slim majority.
Companies are put off investing in poor areas because of the meagre pickings to be had.· Her dark hair spilled over her narrow shoulders.
(=having a thin, thick etc waist)
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· It was Lubbock's scheme, slimmed down and minus compulsion.· Normal mice, too, slimmed down to utter sleekness when they had a little leptin.· Now he's slimmed down and laid back.· Immigrants who made money often tried to slim down to appear to be longtime members of the aristocracy.· Just after Christmas we decided to get married, so I had until June to slim down.· Exercise is a much better stress reliever. Slim down your serving size.· Many companies have considerably slimmed down and changed their corporate structures.· In that report we have proposed a Council slimmed down in terms both of numbers and committees.
The company is trying to slim down its workforce.slim down to The Cabinet has been slimmed down to 16 members.2to make your body thinner, or to become thinner, especially in order to be healthier or more attractiveslim something ↔ down How can I slim down my hips?slim down to She slimmed down to a healthy 61 kilos.—slimmed-down adjective