1
: a durable plain-woven usually cotton fabric for use in clothing, curtains, building, and industry
2
: a theater drop that appears opaque when a scene in front is lighted and transparent or translucent when a scene in back is lighted
3
: something likened to a theater scrim

Examples of scrim in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The only invention was a double-layered scrim system printed with two offset mesh layers with a more porous front layer and a denser one in the back separated by a one-foot air gap. Lauren Sinclair, Curbed, 7 Aug. 2026 Beehive is more delicate, sending up painterly tendrils that form a thin scrim in front of the landscape of volcanic sediment, evergreens, and puffy cumulus clouds. Jesse Ashlock, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 July 2026 The train station radio house was burned during the 2022 fire and ultimately demolished in 2025 after sitting behind construction scrims and scaffolding for years. Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 9 June 2026 Even the show’s translucent scrim, which separates the layout, is meant to create points of intersection, such as considering the similarities between varying types of bodies. Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 4 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for scrim

Word History

Etymology

origin unknown

First Known Use

1793, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scrim was in 1793

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scrim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scrim. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on scrim

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!