noun | verb
skinskin1 /skɪn/ ●●● S2 W2 noun 1
BODY [uncountable] a)science, biology the natural outer layer of a human or animal body: Her skin was red from the sun. Soap can irritate your skin. The toad’s skin produces a poisonous substance. The man had dark skin and dark eyes. The outer layer of skin is called the epidermis. b)the skin on your face: She uses a special cleanser for oily skin. Todd has really bad skin (=unhealthy-looking skin). → -skinned2FROM AN ANIMAL [countable, uncountable] science, biology the skin of an animal, sometimes including its fur, used to make leather, clothes, etc.: The couch was covered in leopard skin.3FOOD [countable, uncountable] a)science, biology the natural thin outer cover of some fruits and vegetables: Leave the skins on the potatoes. b)the outer cover of a sausage SYN casing4ON A LIQUID [countable, uncountable] a thin solid layer that forms on the top of some liquids when they get cold or are left without a cover: A skin had formed on the top of the pudding.5by the skin of your teeth if you do something by the skin of your teeth, you just barely succeed in doing it: Jeff just got into college by the skin of his teeth.6have thin/thick skin to be easily upset or not easily upset by criticism: You need to have thick skin to be a salesperson. → see also thick-skinned, thin-skinned7be (all) skin and bones informal to be extremely thin in a way that is unattractive and unhealthy8get under somebody’s skin someone who gets under your skin annoys you, especially by the way he or she behaves: Kids will say some mean things to try and get under your skin.9make somebody’s skin crawl to make someone feel nervous, disgusted, or slightly afraid: The thought of him touching me just makes my skin crawl.10it’s no skin off somebody’s nose spoken used to say that you do not care what someone thinks or does, because it does not affect you: It’s no skin off my nose if they don’t want to come along.11OUTER LAYER [countable] the outer layer of a vehicle, building, or object12PROTECTIVE CASE [countable] a thin plastic or rubber cover that protects an electronic device, such as a phone: There are many iPod skins to choose from.13COMPUTERS [countable] computers the way in which a computer program appears on a screen, especially when this can be changed easily[Origin: 1100–1200 Old Norse skinn] → see also jump out of your skin at jump1 (5), save somebody’s skin/bacon/neck/butt at save1 (10)COLLOCATIONSadjectiveslight/fair/pale skin I have fair skin that burns very easily.dark skin People with dark skin are less prone to skin cancer.brown/black/white skin The makeup is for people with black skin.olive skin (=the color typical of people from around the Mediterranean sea) She is Spanish, with olive skin and dark hair.tan/tanned skin (=brown from the sun) His skin was slightly tan after a morning in the sun.smooth/soft skin Babies’ skin is so smooth.rough skin (=not smooth or soft) The skin on his hands was rough and dry.wrinkled skin (=covered in lines because of age) The skin around the old woman’s eyes and mouth was very wrinkled.leathery skin (=thick and dry) His skin was leathery from years in the sun.good/healthy/clear skin (=smooth and without any red bumps) Vitamin E helps keep your skin healthy.flawless skin (=perfect, with no bumps or marks) The girls all had perfect features and flawless skin.bad/terrible skin (=with many red bumps or marks) I had terrible skin when I was a teenager.dry skin I use lotion every day for my dry skin.oily skin My skin has a tendency to be oily.sensitive/delicate skin (=becoming red or sore easily) Babies have very sensitive skin.itchy skin (=making you want to scratch) The cream made my skin feel itchy.scaly skin (=hard and dry, like the skin on animals such as lizards) The crocodile’s scaly skin is ideally suited to its way of life.verbsdamage somebody’s skin Strong sunlight can damage your skin.burn somebody’s skin The sun can burn your skin within 20 minutes on some days.break the skin (=make a hole in it) The little boy bit her so hard it broke the skin.protect your skin It’s important to use suntan lotion to protect your skin.irritate somebody’s skin (=make it red or sore) Some types of makeup can irritate your skin.soothe somebody’s skin (=stop it feeling painful or uncomfortable) The lotion helps to soothe your skin after you’ve been in the sun all day.somebody’s skin glows/shines (=it looks healthy) There are many beauty products that will make your skin glow.somebody’s skin peels (=the top layer comes off after you have had a sun tan) A week after the sunburn my skin was starting to peel.somebody’s skin sags (=it hangs down in loose folds, because you are old) The skin on her arms was already starting to sag.skin + nounsskin color There is still discrimination on the basis of skin color.skin tone (=how light or dark someone’s skin is) Do the colors of your clothes enhance your skin tone?a skin condition/problem/disease/disorder She suffers from a skin condition that causes itching.skin irritation A lot of chemicals can cause skin irritation.a skin rash The illness causes fever and a skin rash.skin cancer Too much exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer.skin care The teenagers asked questions about skin care. noun | verb
skinskin2 verb (skinned, skinning) 1[transitive] to remove the skin from an animal, fruit, or vegetable: Skin and slice the tomatoes.2[transitive] to hurt a part of your body by rubbing off some skin: She fell and skinned her knee.3skin somebody alive informal to punish someone very severely: Richard would skin me alive if he ever found out.4there is more than one way to skin a cat used to say that there is more than one way to achieve something5[transitive] informal to completely defeat someone