Trim means to cut away small amounts from the edges or ends of something to make it neater, smaller, or better shaped. When you trim your fingernails, you're cutting off just the parts that have grown too long. A gardener trims a hedge by snipping away branches that stick out, creating clean, even sides. A barber trims your hair to keep it looking tidy without cutting off very much.

The word suggests careful, precise cutting rather than chopping or hacking. You trim the crust off a sandwich or trim excess fabric from a sewing project. Writers trim unnecessary words from their stories to make them sharper. When a coach trims the roster, they're cutting a few players to get down to the right team size.

Trim can also describe someone or something that looks neat, fit, and well-maintained. A trim sailboat sits cleanly in the water, and a trim athlete appears fit and healthy.

As a noun, trim can mean the decorative borders or finishing pieces on something. A house with trim around its windows and doors has those wooden borders that frame the openings and give the building a finished look.