# cream off

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/cream-off
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. to take money dishonestly

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to take a small part of a large amount of money for yourself, usually in a way that is not legal.

For teachers: to illicitly divert a percentage of profits or funds for personal use, typically before the total is officially recorded.

- The manager was caught creaming off a portion of the shop's daily cash sales.
- Investigators discovered that the executive had been creaming off millions from the pension fund over several years through a series of shell companies.

Usage: Often used in financial or business contexts regarding corruption.

### 3. to remove cream or makeup

phrasal verb · CEFR B2

to remove the top layer of cream from milk, or to use a cream to clean makeup off your face.

For teachers: to remove the fatty part of a liquid from the surface, or to use a cosmetic cream to dissolve and remove substances from the skin.

- She used a soft cloth to cream off her heavy stage makeup at the end of the night.
- Traditional dairy farmers would cream off the top layer of the milk to make high-quality butter for the local market.

Usage: Transitive; the object can be the substance removed or the surface being cleaned.

## Examples

- The company tries to cream off the best graduates every year.
- Corrupt officials were caught trying to cream off a percentage of the disaster relief funds.
- By offering elite scholarships, the private institution effectively creams off the highest-achieving students from the public school system.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: anchor this to the literal image of removing cream from the top of milk; it implies that what is being taken is the 'top' or 'best' layer.

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