slim down
B1 neutral inseparable both
In simple words
Get thinner (for a person) or make something smaller and more efficient.
Literal meaning: To become slim (thin) in a downward direction — fairly transparent.
Meanings
1 B1 neutral
To lose body weight and become thinner.
"She spent three months at the gym and slimmed down considerably before the wedding."
Grammar: inseparable
2 B2
idiomatic
neutral
To reduce the size, staff, or scope of an organisation, company, or product.
"The airline slimmed down its operations after the pandemic hit revenue hard."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
When referring to people, it is a polite, neutral way to talk about weight loss and is preferred over blunter alternatives. When referring to organisations, budgets, or products, it means to reduce in size or scale. Common in both business and lifestyle journalism.
Commonly used with
body company workforce budget menu operations
Forms
Base
slim down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
slims down
he/she/it
Past simple
slimed down
yesterday
Past participle
slimed down
have + pp
-ing form
sliming down
continuous
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