- [countable, usually singular] an act of cutting a small amount off something, especially hair
- a wash and trim
- The hedge needs a trim.
- I have a trim every 4–6 weeks.
- She gave my hair a trim.
- [uncountable, singular] material that is used to decorate clothes, furniture, cars, etc., especially along the edges, by being a different colour, etc.
- The car is available with black or red trim (= the colour of the seats).
- a blue jacket with a white trim
- The kitchen units come in white with a grey trim.
Word OriginOld English trymman, trymian ‘make firm, arrange’, of which the adjective appears to be a derivative. The word's history is obscure; current verb senses date from the early 16th cent. when usage became frequent and served many purposes: this is possibly explained by spoken or dialect use in the Middle English period not recorded in existing literature.
Idioms
See trim in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryin (good, etc.) trim
- (informal) in good condition or order
- He keeps in trim by running every day.
- The team need to get in trim for the coming season.
Check pronunciation:
trim