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Synonyms

skiff

American  
[skif] / skɪf /

noun

  1. any of various types of boats small enough for sailing or rowing by one person.

skiff British  
/ skɪf /

noun

  1. any of various small boats propelled by oars, sail, or motor

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • skiffless adjective

Etymology

Origin of skiff

1565–75; < early Italian schifo < Old High German scif ship 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

My father's skiff was not meant for two grown people, a seven-foot sled, and seven dogs.

From Literature

Its navy may soon be reduced to a few fast skiffs, if they dare to leave shore.

From The Wall Street Journal

A skiff of snow fell on them, soft and pretty against the darkening gray sky.

From Literature

We were so far from home, we pushed on to the river, where a conductor was waiting with a skiff.

From Literature

People on the smaller vessel, a simple fishing skiff, held up cellphones like emergency flares in the night.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.