Skin — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective /ˈskin/

Meaning & Definition of Skin

Skin (noun)

  1. the integument of an animal (such as a fur-bearing mammal or a bird) separated from the body usually with its hair or feathers
  2. a usually unmounted specimen of a vertebrate (as in a museum)
  3. the hide or pelt of a game or domestic animal

Skin (verb)

  1. to strip, scrape, or rub off an outer covering (such as the skin or rind) of
  2. to strip or peel off
  3. to cut, chip, or damage the surface of

Skin (adjective)

  1. devoted to showing nudes

Skin (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. an outer part or layer

    "space-age materials used on the skin of the aircraft"

    similar: exterior, face, outside, shell, surface, veneer
    related: facade, front, top, cover, covering, facing, appearance, disguise, guise, mask, semblance, show
    opposite: inside, interior

  2. the outer covering of an animal removed for its commercial value

    "hats made from beaver skins were once fashionable"

    similar: fur, hide, leather, pelt
    related: badger, beaver, chamois, chinchilla, ermine, fisher, fox, marten, mink, muskrat, otter, Persian lamb, rabbit, raccoon, sable, seal, bearskin, buckskin, calfskin, coonskin, cowhide, deerskin, doeskin, goatskin, horsehide, karakul, kidskin, kolinsky, lambskin, pigskin, rawhide, sealskin, sharkskin, sheep, sheepskin, snakeskin, fleece, mouton, alligator, crocodile, cordovan, morocco, patent leather, suede

  3. the hairless natural covering of an animal prepared for use

    "calfskin gloves"

    similar: hide, leather
    related: coat, fleece, fur, pelt, alligator, antelope, buckskin, cabretta, calfskin, capeskin, chamois, cordovan, cowhide, crocodile, deerskin, doeskin, goatskin, horsehide, kid, kidskin, lambskin, morocco, ostrich, pigskin, seal, sharkskin, sheepskin, snakeskin, nubuck, patent leather, suede

Skin (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to remove the natural covering of

    "I prefer not to skin potatoes before mashing them"

    similar: bark, flay, hull, husk, peel, shell, shuck
    related: bare, denude, expose, scale, strip, pare

  2. to rob by the use of trickery or threats

    "got his revenge on the dirty swindler who had skinned him"

    similar: beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, fleece, flimflam, gaff, hose (slang), hustle, mulct, nobble (British slang), pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize, sell a bill of goods to, take for a ride, take to the cleaners
    related: extort, wrench, wrest, wring, clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak, exploit, milk, deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick, rope (in), betray, bitch, double-cross, bamboozle, fast-talk

  3. to defeat by a large margin

    "we simply got skinned in the interoffice softball tournament"

    similar: annihilate, blow away, bomb, bury, clobber, cream, drub, dust, flatten, paste, rout, shellac, skunk, smoke (slang), smother, snow under, thrash, trim, tromp, trounce, wallop, wax (slang), whip, whomp, whop, whup, beat the pants off, eat alive, run circles around, wipe the floor with
    related: sweep, upset, beat, best, conquer, dispatch, hurdle, lick, master, overbear, overcome, overmatch, prevail (over), subdue, surmount, take, throw, triumph (over), win (against), worst, crush, knock off, knock over, overpower, overthrow, overwhelm, subjugate, upend, vanquish, ace (out), better, eclipse, exceed, outdistance, outdo, outfight, outshine, outstrip, overtop, surpass, top, transcend, edge (out), nose out, pip (British), cap, excel, flourish, score, succeed, break, destroy, do in, finish, sink, slaughter

Related Entry: Skin-deep (adjective)

Skin-deep is a different word from Skin. The synonyms below are for skin-deep, not for skin.

  1. lying on or affecting only the outer layer of something

    "fortunately, the cut was only skin-deep"

    similar: superficial, surface
    related: depthless, shallow, shoal, two-dimensional, external
    near: deep, deep-seated

  2. having or showing a lack of depth of understanding or character

    "the book provides some interesting anecdotes but only offers a skin-deep analysis of the events it chronicles"

    similar: facile, one-dimensional, shallow, superficial
    related: cursory, hasty, oversimple, passing, sketchy, aimless, desultory, haphazard, hit-or-miss, random, limited, narrow, restricted
    opposite: deep, profound
    near: discerning, penetrant, penetrating, definitive, hard, broad, complete, comprehensive, exhaustive, extensive, far-reaching, wide, general, global, inclusive, detailed, in-depth, critical

Related Entry: By the skin of one's teeth (phrase)

By the skin of one's teeth is a different word from Skin. The synonyms below are for by the skin of one's teeth, not for skin.

  1. by a very small margin

    "They won the contest by the skin of their teeth."

    similar: barely, hardly, just, marginally, narrowly, scarcely, slightly
    related: minimally, minutely, scantly, almost, approximately, closely, more or less, nearly, partly, plus or minus, roughly, somewhat
    opposite: considerably, significantly, substantially, vastly, well
    near: definitely, easily, plainly, positively, quite, unquestionably, abundantly, completely, copiously, fully, generously, greatly

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Skin

The most common words with a similar meaning to Skin:

Slang: hose, smoke, wax
British slang: nobble
exterior, face, outside, shell, surface, veneer, fur, hide, leather, pelt, bark, flay, hull, husk, peel, shuck, beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, fleece, flimflam, gaff, hustle, mulct, pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Skin

Words with the opposite meaning of Skin:

inside, interior

Related Words for Skin

facade, front, top, cover, covering, facing, appearance, disguise, guise, mask, semblance, show, badger, beaver, chamois, chinchilla, ermine, fisher, fox, marten, mink, muskrat, otter, Persian lamb, rabbit, raccoon, sable, seal, bearskin, buckskin

Word Forms of Skin

Inflections: skinned, skinning

Derived words: skinless (adjective)

Origin & Etymology of Skin

Middle English, from Old Norse skinn; akin to Old English scinn skin, Middle High German schint fruit peel

First known use: before 12th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Skin

Words & Phrases Containing Skin

skin care, skin-deep, skin-dive, skin diver, skin diving, skin game, skin graft

Frequently Asked Questions about Skin

What does "Skin" mean?

"Skin" means the integument of an animal (such as a fur-bearing mammal or a bird) separated from the body usually with its hair or feathers. As an a noun, a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: the integument of an animal (such as a fur-bearing mammal or a bird) separated from the body usually with its hair or feathers. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Skin"?

Other words for "Skin" include exterior, face, outside, shell, surface, veneer, fur and hide. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Skin" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Skin"?

There are 229 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Skin". Common alternatives include exterior, face, outside, shell, surface, veneer, fur, hide, leather and pelt.

What is a slang word for "Skin"?

Slang words for "Skin" include hose, smoke, wax and nobble.

What is the opposite of "Skin"?

Antonyms of "Skin" include inside and interior.

How do you use "Skin" in a sentence?

Examples of "Skin" in a sentence: "space-age materials used on the skin of the aircraft"; "hats made from beaver skins were once fashionable"; "calfskin gloves".

Is "Skin" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Skin" can be used as a noun, a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

Is "Skin" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Skin" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.