TRIM, adjective Firm; compact; tight; snug; being in good order. We say of a ship, she is trim or trim-built; every thing about the man is trim We say of a person, he is trim when his body is well shaped and firm; and we say, his dress is trim when it sits closely to his body and appears tight and snug; and of posture we say, a man or a soldier is trim when he stands erect. It is particularly applicable to soldiers, and in Saxon, truma is a troop or body of soldiers.

TRIM, verb transitive

1. In a general sense, to make right, that is, to put in due order for any purpose.

The hermit trimm'd his little fire.

2. To dress; to put the body in a proper state.

I was trimm'd in Julia's gown.

3. To decorate; to invest or embellish with extra ornaments; as, to trim a gown with lace.

4. To clip, as the hair of the head; also, to shave; that is, to put in due order.

5. To lop, as superfluous branches; to prune; as, to trim trees.

6. To supply with oil; as, to trim a lamp.

7. To make neat; to adjust.

I found her trimming up the diadem

On her dead mistress--

8. In carpentry, to dress, as timber; to make smooth.

9. To adjust the cargo of a ship, or the weight of persons or goods in a boat, so equally on each side of the center and at each end, that she shall sit well on the water and sail well. Thus we say, to trim a ship or a boat.

10. To rebuke; to reprove sharply; a popular use of the word.

11. To arrange in due order for sailing; as, to trim the sails.

To trim in, in carpentry, to fit, as a piece of timber into other work.

To trip up, to dress; to put in order.

TRIM, verb intransitive To balance; to fluctuate between parties, so as to appear to favor each.

TRIM, noun Dress; gear; ornaments.

1. The state of a ship or her cargo, ballast, masts, etc., by which she is well prepared for sailing.

TRIM of the masts, is their position in regard to the ship and to each other, as near or distant, far forward or much aft, erect or raking.

TRIM of sails, is that position and arrangement which is best adapted to impel the ship forward.