Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use trim in a sentence

40 example sentences · verb, noun, adjective

Trim means to reduce slightly; to cut; especially, to remove excess. Example: “He trimmed his beard before the interview.”

Examples of trim by meaning

verbTo reduce slightly; to cut; especially, to remove excess.

  • He trimmed his beard before the interview.
  • The hedge needs to be trimmed.
  • Place the screen material in the frame, secure it in place, and trim the edges.

verbTo decorate or adorn; especially of a Christmas tree.

  • They traditionally trim the tree on Christmas Eve.
  • Seats are trimmed in a grey and blue moquette and tables are finished with grey Vyanide tops, gilt edging and ebony legs.1961 February, “New "Mini-Buffets" from Wolverton”, in Trains Illustrated, page 79
  • Its graceful cane halftester rose high towards the cornice and was so festooned in carved white wood that the effect was positively insecure, as if the great couch were trimmed with icing sugar.1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 1, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

nounDecoration; especially, decoration placed along edges or borders.

  • Paint the house white with blue trim.

nounA haircut, especially a moderate one to touch up an existing style.

  • I went to the hairdresser for a trim but came back nearly bald.

nounThe manner in which something is equipped or adorned; order; disposition.

  • to be in good trim
  • In addition to the numerous traction aspects of the unit's restoration, the team had to create a trim shop in the depot to re-upholster hundreds of seat components.2024 February 7, Philip Haigh, “Railway's fragile resilience”, in RAIL, number 1002, page 3

nounFeatures optionally available on a vehicle; an established configuration of such features within a model (a trim level).

  • This model of car comes in three different trims.
  • If you want air conditioning, you'll need to move up to the next trim level.
  • He jacked up prices and increased production of Jeep's most expensive trims, without adequately investing in new products, which left gaping holes in an aging lineup and swelling inventory on dealer lots.2025 September 11, Gabrielle Coppola, Albertina Torsoli, “The Corporate Saga Behind Jeep's Downfall. An iconic brand mismanaged by a...

adjectivePhysically fit.

  • He goes jogging every day to keep in trim.

adjectiveSlender, lean.

  • a trim figure

More sentences with trim

  • Trim the stick down to a length of about twelve inches.From the entry down
  • We will ornament the windows with trim to make the room seem brighter.From the entry ornament
  • Trim the wick fairly short, so that the flame does not smoke.From the entry wick
  • Their Victorian house had three turrets and a large amount of gingerbread trim.From the entry turret
  • A trim runaway can make an airplane almost impossible to fly.From the entry runaway
  • An autotrim failure can cause stabiliser trim to rapidly run away in the nose-up or nose-down direction.From the entry run away
  • A body-coloured centre pillar signalled the arrival of an electronic four-speed auto, slight suspension revisions and minor trim changes.From the entry auto
  • He is an attractive fellow with a trim figure.From the entry attractive
  • He trims the hedge once a week.From the entry hedge
  • I'm hoping to trim down this year.From the entry trim down
  • With the design allowing the engine to be placed so far forward the holds are more midships and this gives a better trim.From the entry midships
  • Now then, can Ratchford add the extras to trim Wigan's lead to just two points?2025 May 4, Matt Turner, “Wigan Warriors vs Warrington Wolves, Magic Weekend live”, in Warrington Guardian, retrieved 13 May 2025. From the entry hey diddle diddle
  • Inside, the revised F-Type gets lightweight slimline seats and new chrome and aluminium trim finishers.2017 January 10, Matt Burt, Autocar. From the entry finisher
  • Soon neat rows of coyote brush rise on either side, their tops trimmed and even.2016, C Pam Zhang, How Much of These Hills Is Gold, Virago, page 101. From the entry coyote brush
  • The three satyrs wear silver armored chest plate, with gold trim, and helmets matching their color.2014, T. Cannon, “Waking up the rest”, in Artésque (The Fragment of Stoná; 1), [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN. From the entry plateskirt
  • The burgundy scrunchie that held her brown ponytail matched the trim of her Esprit socks.2013, Benjamin Nugent, Good Kids, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN. From the entry scrunchie
  • Determine the length of the trim band (extended underwrap) you want on each end of the wraps.2013, Dale P. Clemens, Advanced Custom Rod Building, →ISBN. From the entry underwrap
  • Someone may have wanted to trim a local dandy down to size.2012, Daniel W. Patterson, The True Image, page 296. From the entry trim down to size
  • The shirts were light blue heather ringers with royal blue trim on the necks and sleeves.2011, Buck Peden, Baseball, Golf, Wars, Women & Puppies: An Autobiography, page 278. From the entry ringer
  • Not too long ago, it entailed a wash, a trim, and a boofing up.2011, Ellie Lofaro, Bonding with the Blonde Women, page 29. From the entry boof
  • TAI: One time I was using some clippers to trim downstairs and I totally caught my labia.2010, Jeph Jacques, Questionable Content 1697: Whoa Ooh Ahh Oww. From the entry clippers
  • Trim the wallhanging top after it has been quilted to prevent distortion.2009, Edyta Sitar, Friendship Triangles: 15 Beautiful Quilting Projects, page 20. From the entry wallhanging
  • The rawhide bow guard was laced up inside, trimmed with silver buttons, feathers, and paint.2008, Thomas W. Kavanagh, Comanche Ethnography, →ISBN. From the entry bow guard
  • You know, get an electric razor, trim up your shrubbery, blow out your front yard a bit?2007, Jen Lancaster, Bright Lights, Big Ass. From the entry manscape
  • Earlier that day, seeking festoonery, she tore the trim from a dress.2007 June 3, ZoË Wolff, “North American Songbird”, in New York Times. From the entry festoonery

Meaning of trim

  1. verb To reduce slightly; to cut; especially, to remove excess.
  2. verb To decorate or adorn; especially of a Christmas tree.
  3. verb To adjust the positions of control surfaces, sometimes using trim tabs, so as to modify or eliminate the aircraft's tendency to pitch, roll, or yaw when the cockpit controls are released.

Full definition of trim

Questions about trim in a sentence

How do you use trim in a sentence?
Trim is used as a verb, noun and adjective. For example: “He trimmed his beard before the interview.”
What is a short sentence with trim?
“a trim figure”
What does trim mean?
Trim means to reduce slightly; to cut; especially, to remove excess.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: trim (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use trim in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/trim. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.