| 1. | anything used or serving to decorate or complete: the trimmings of a Christmas tree. |
| 2. | Usually, trimmings. an accompaniment or garnish to a main dish: roast turkey with all the trimmings. |
| 3. | trimmings, pieces cut off in trimming, clipping, paring, or pruning. |
| 4. | the act of a person or thing that trims. |
| 5. | Informal. a beating or thrashing. |
| 6. | Informal. a defeat: Our team took quite a trimming. |
,verb, trimmed, trim⋅ming, noun, adjective, trim⋅mer, trim⋅mest, adverb | 1. | to put into a neat or orderly condition by clipping, paring, pruning, etc.: to trim a hedge. |
| 2. | to remove (something superfluous or dispensable) by or as if by cutting (often fol. by off): to trim off loose threads from a ragged edge. |
| 3. | to cut down, as to required size or shape: trim a budget; trim a piece of wood. |
| 4. | Aeronautics. to level off (an airship or airplane) in flight. |
| 5. | Nautical.
|
| 6. | to decorate or adorn with ornaments or embellishments: to trim a dress with fur. |
| 7. | to arrange goods in (a store window, showcase, etc.) as a display. |
| 8. | to prepare or adjust (a lamp, fire, etc.) for proper burning. |
| 9. | Informal.
|
| 10. | to dress or array (often fol. by up). |
| 11. | Nautical.
|
| 12. | to pursue a neutral or cautious policy between parties. |
| 13. | to accommodate one's views to the prevailing opinion for reasons of expediency. |
| 14. | the condition, order, or fitness of a person or thing for action, work, use, etc. |
| 15. | Nautical.
|
| 16. | a person's dress, adornment, or appearance. |
| 17. | material used for decoration or embellishment; decorative trimming. |
| 18. | decoration of a store window for the display of merchandise; window dressing. |
| 19. | a trimming by cutting, clipping, or the like. |
| 20. | a haircut that restores the previous cut to neatness without changing the hair style. |
| 21. | something that is cut off or eliminated. |
| 22. | Aeronautics. the attitude of an airplane with respect to all three axes, at which balance occurs in forward flight under no controls. |
| 23. | Building Trades. finished woodwork or the like used to decorate or border openings or wall surfaces, as cornices, baseboards, or moldings. |
| 24. | Automotive.
|
| 25. | pleasingly neat or smart in appearance: trim lawns. |
| 26. | in good condition or order. |
| 27. | (of a person) in excellent physical condition: Swimming is a good way to keep trim. |
| 28. | slim; lean. |
| 29. | Obsolete. good, excellent, or fine. |
| 30. | trimly. |
| 31. | trim one's sails. sail (def. 19). |

trim (trĭm) v. trimmed, trim·ming, trims v. tr.
[Middle English trimmen, to make firm, from Old English trymman, from trum, strong; see deru- in Indo-European roots.] trim'ly adv., trim'ness n. |