SKIP TO CONTENT

skin

skins; skinned; skinning

Our bodies are covered with skin, a layer of tissue that's also humans' largest organ. When you are sick and have a fever, your skin feels warm.

Skin is something we have in common with other vertebrates. The peels of some fruits and vegetables are sometimes called skin too. As a verb, skin means to remove a peel or skin, or to scrape your skin: "If you skateboard in shorts, you're going to skin your knee." If you do something "by the skin of your teeth," you just barely manage it. Skin comes from the Old Norse word skinn, "animal hide."

Definitions of skin
  1. noun
    a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch
    “your skin is the largest organ of your body”
    synonyms: cutis, tegument
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 11 types...
    hide 11 types...
    investment
    outer layer or covering of an organ or part or organism
    thick skin
    skin that is very thick (as an elephant or rhinoceros)
    skin graft
    a piece of skin taken from a donor area and surgically grafted at the site of an injury or burn
    buff
    bare skin; naked
    dewlap
    a hanging fold of loose skin on an elderly person's neck
    foreskin, prepuce
    a fold of skin covering the tip of the penis
    foreskin, prepuce
    a fold of skin covering the tip of the clitoris
    scalp
    the skin that covers the top of the head
    cuticle
    the dead skin at the base of a fingernail or toenail
    agnail, hangnail
    a loose narrow strip of skin near the base of a fingernail; tearing it produces a painful sore that is easily infected
    pellicle
    thin protective membrane in some protozoa
    type of:
    body covering
    any covering for the body or a body part
    connective tissue
    tissue of mesodermal origin consisting of e.g. collagen fibroblasts and fatty cells; supports organs and fills spaces between them and forms tendons and ligaments
  2. noun
    body covering of a living animal
    synonyms: hide, pelt
    see moresee less
    type of:
    body covering
    any covering for the body or a body part
  3. noun
    a person's skin regarded as their life
    “he tried to save his skin
    see moresee less
    type of:
    aliveness, animation, life, living
    the condition of living or the state of being alive
  4. noun
    a bag serving as a container for liquids; it is made from the hide of an animal
    see moresee less
    types:
    water skin, waterskin
    a container of skin for holding water
    wineskin
    an animal skin (usually a goatskin) that forms a bag and is used to hold and dispense wine
    type of:
    bag
    a flexible container with a single opening
  5. verb
    strip the skin off
    synonyms: pare, peel
    see moresee less
    types:
    peel off
    peel off the outer layer of something
    flay
    strip the skin off
    exfoliate
    remove the surface, in scales or laminae
    type of:
    strip
    remove the surface from
  6. verb
    bruise, cut, or injure the skin or the surface of
    “The boy skinned his knee when he fell”
    synonyms: scrape
    see moresee less
    type of:
    injure, wound
    cause injuries or bodily harm to
  7. noun
    an outer surface (usually thin)
    “the skin of an airplane”
    see moresee less
    type of:
    surface
    the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
  8. noun
    the rind of a fruit or vegetable
    synonyms: peel
    see moresee less
    types:
    show 6 types...
    hide 6 types...
    jacket
    the outer skin of a potato
    banana peel, banana skin
    the skin of a banana (especially when it is stripped off and discarded)
    lemon peel, lemon rind
    the rind of a lemon
    orange peel, orange rind
    the rind of an orange
    lemon zest
    tiny bits of lemon peel
    orange zest
    tiny bits of orange peel
    type of:
    rind
    the natural outer covering of food (usually removed before eating)
  9. verb
    remove the bark of a tree
    synonyms: bark
    see moresee less
    type of:
    strip
    remove the surface from
  10. verb
    climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling
    synonyms: clamber, scramble, shin, shinny, sputter, struggle
    see moresee less
    type of:
    climb
    move with difficulty, by grasping
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘skin'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family
EDITOR'S CHOICE

Look up skin for the last time

Close your vocabulary gaps with personalized learning that focuses on teaching the words you need to know.

VocabTrainer - Vocabulary.com's Vocabulary Trainer