What does "kim" mean?
Alternative form of gim (“edible seaweed”).
Kim
/kɪm/ name, noun
name, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Alternative form of gim (“edible seaweed”).
- Grammar: kim is listed as name, noun.
- Nearest alternatives: family name, first name, forename, given name.
- Useful contrasts: anonymous, given name.
- Usage evidence: Jeff wore the tie which Kim had given him for a birthday present.
How to use "kim"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "kim" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "kim" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "kim" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "kim" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "kim" is acting as name, noun in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "family name" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "kim", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Alternative form of gim (“edible seaweed”). alt-of, alternative, uncountable
Proper Noun
- 1 A unisex given name.; A male given name transferred from the surname.
"The half-caste woman who looked after him (she smoked opium, and pretended to keep a second-hand furniture shop by the square where the cheap cabs wait) told the missionaries that she was Kim’s mother’s sister; but his mother had been nursemaid in a colonel's family and had married Kimball O’Hara, a young color-sergeant of the Mavericks, an Irish regiment."
- 2 A surname from Korean.
"Centring on the tension between the Kims, a basement-dwelling family of “dirt spoons” in Seoul, and the Parks, a family at the opposite end of the social spectrum, Parasite’s plot is predicated on the widening gap between the haves and the have nots in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy. […] “My husband and I thought it was such an honour for our shop to appear in Parasite,” its 72-year-old owner, Kim Kyung-soon, says."
- 3 An Mbum language of southern Chad.
- 4 A unisex given name.; A female given name transferred from the surname, of 1940s and later usage.
"Bizarre as was the name she bore, Kim Ravenal always said she was thankful it had been no worse. […] It is no secret that the absurd monosyllable which comprises her given name is made up of the first letters of three states — Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri — in all of which she was, incredibly enough, born."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
anonymousgiven name
Example
"Jeff wore the tie which Kim had given him for a birthday present."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "kim"?
Common synonyms include: family name, first name, forename, given name, jin, surname.
How do you use "kim" in a sentence?
Jeff wore the tie which Kim had given him for a birthday present.
How do you pronounce "kim"?
Pronounced /kɪm/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Clipping of Kimball and Kimberley as a male name, and of Kimberley and Kimberly as a female name.
Etymology 2
From Korean 김(金) (Gim).