skin
skin — noun
1. the natural protective surface on a person, animal, or piece of fruit — the oute
the natural protective surface on a person, animal, or piece of fruit — the outermost part of the body that you can feel and see.
Nila's skin turned red after she spent the whole morning at the beach without sunscreen.
collocation: skin + turn + colour
The skin of a banana changes from green to yellow as the fruit becomes ripe.
skin of [fruit]: typical object
Drinking enough water every day helped Jude keep his skin looking fresh and smooth.
A small cut on the skin usually heals by itself within a few days.
2. the hide or fur stripped from a dead creature, ready to be turned into products
the hide or fur stripped from a dead creature, ready to be turned into products like coats, handbags, or drums.
The trader paid a fair price for the wolf skin that the hunter brought to the market.
Traditional African drums are often made with goat skin stretched tightly over a wooden frame.
material use: made with [animal] skin
Museum workers carefully treat animal skins to stop them from rotting over time.
Zola bought a handbag made of genuine snake skin during her trip to Vietnam.
用法筆記
Frequently used in compounds like 'sheepskin,' 'snakeskin,' and 'calfskin' to name the source animal. When the hair or fur is still attached, 'pelt' or 'fur' is more common.
3. the outermost surface or casing of an object — for example, the wrapping around
the outermost surface or casing of an object — for example, the wrapping around a sausage, the metal panels of an aircraft, or a plastic sheath around a cable.
Christopher left the sausages on the grill too long, and their skins burst open.
Boat builders apply several coats of paint to form a tough waterproof skin over the wood.
collocation: form a skin over [object]
The outer skin of the aircraft is made from lightweight aluminium sheets.
A plastic skin around the cable keeps water from reaching the wires inside.
用法筆記
Distinguish from noun sense 4 (LIQUID): this sense covers a solid outer layer on a physical object, not a film on a liquid surface.
4. a thin, flexible coating that develops on top of a liquid exposed to air, especi
a thin, flexible coating that develops on top of a liquid exposed to air, especially after a heated substance like milk or paint cools down.
Selim left the paint can open, and by morning a rubbery skin had formed on top.
collocation: a skin forms on [liquid]
Élise refused to eat the pudding because a thick skin had formed after it cooled down.
When you heat milk and let it cool, a thin skin of protein appears on the surface.
Stirring the soup every few minutes stops a skin from forming while it simmers.
用法筆記
Frequently used with verbs like 'form,' 'develop,' or 'appear,' and often occurs in cooking contexts. Stirring prevents the skin from forming.
5. a set of colours, pictures, and patterns that a user can apply to change the loo
a set of colours, pictures, and patterns that a user can apply to change the look of the screen on a phone, tablet, or computer program.
Joon downloaded a new skin for his phone that shows a starry night sky on the home screen.
download a skin for [device]
Many messaging apps let you install custom skins to personalise the chat background.
Niran changed the skin of his music player to match his favourite band's album cover.
The app offers free skins that change colour depending on the time of day.
用法筆記
In technology contexts, 'skin' usually refers to the visual customisation layer, not hardware. The verb 'reskin' means to apply a new skin to software.
常見錯誤
6. a custom visual style applied to a video-game character, weapon, or item, giving
a custom visual style applied to a video-game character, weapon, or item, giving it a different look without changing its abilities.
Manuela spent hours unlocking rare skins for her favourite character in the fighting game.
collocation: unlock / earn a skin
Players can buy limited-edition weapon skins during special seasonal events in the game.
The game studio released a new legendary skin that turns the hero into a golden warrior.
Lan traded her extra skins with another player to get the rare outfit she wanted.
用法筆記
In gaming, skins are purely cosmetic — they change appearance but do not affect gameplay or stats. Some games allow players to buy, earn, or trade them.
skin — verb
1. to remove the outer layer from a fruit, vegetable, or dead animal before cooking
to remove the outer layer from a fruit, vegetable, or dead animal before cooking, eating, or processing it.
Sophia skinned the apples before putting them into the pie filling.
The chef quickly skinned the salmon and removed all the bones with a sharp knife.
skin + fish / salmon / chicken
In some countries, butchers skin the rabbit before selling it at the market.
You should skin the tomatoes before making the sauce to get a smoother texture.
文法句型
skin + object (fruit, animal, vegetable)
用法筆記
For fruit and vegetables, 'peel' is more common in everyday English. 'Skin' is preferred for animals and fish, or when the outer layer is tougher.
常見錯誤
2. to injure a part of your body by scraping it against a hard, rough surface, or t
to injure a part of your body by scraping it against a hard, rough surface, or to scratch the outer layer of an object in the same way.
Eitan skinned his knee when he tripped over the pavement on his way to school.
collocation: skin + body part (knee, elbow, knuckle)
Joon skinned his elbow badly while fixing the fence in the backyard.
The movers skinned the corner of the wooden table as they carried it through the door.
Niran skinned both hands climbing the rough stone wall of the old castle.
文法句型
skin + body part (knee, elbow, hand)
skin + object surface
用法筆記
When referring to people, this sense is about accidentally scraping the skin, not cutting deeply. The result is usually a graze or shallow wound.
skin — adjective
1. describing a magazine, film, or publication that is mainly about or shows naked
describing a magazine, film, or publication that is mainly about or shows naked bodies, often in a sexually explicit way.
The corner shop was fined for displaying skin magazines at the checkout counter where children could see them.
collocation: skin magazine
In the seventies, skin flicks were shown in small cinemas hidden away from the main streets.
collocation: skin flick (informal, dated)
The new streaming service announced it would not carry any skin content in its library.
The police raided the shop and seized boxes of skin DVDs from a back room.
- adult
the standard modern term for content intended for adults; broader and less crude than 'skin'
- explicit
describes content that shows sexual acts directly; used in formal ratings
- pornographic
formal and legal term; stronger and more judgmental than 'skin'
文法句型
skin + noun (magazine, film, flick)
用法筆記
This sense is informal and can be considered offensive or crude. It is used mostly to describe adult content from an older era. Modern terms like 'adult' or 'explicit' are more neutral.
skin — suffix
1. used after an adjective to form a compound that describes the quality, texture,
used after an adjective to form a compound that describes the quality, texture, or colour of a person's, animal's, or fruit's natural skin.
Mayumi is fair-skinned, so she wears sunscreen even on cloudy winter days.
pattern: [adjective]-skinned (colour)
Asher bit into a smooth-skinned apple and juice dripped down his chin.
pattern: [adjective]-skinned (texture of fruit)
Hana spotted a rough-skinned toad hiding under a damp log in the forest.
Beatrix has thin-skinned hands that bleed easily when she works in the garden.
The thick-skinned farmer never complained about the thorns that scratched his arms.
文法句型
[adjective]-skinned
用法筆記
Common adjectives that combine with '-skinned' include colour terms (fair-, dark-, light-) and quality terms (thick-, thin-, smooth-, rough-, tough-, soft-). Unlike the noun sense 'animal skin' (noun/2), the suffix '-skinned' does not attach to material names — native speakers say 'a leather bag', not 'a leather-skinned bag.'