Skype

American  

[skahyp] / skaɪp /

Trademark.

1. a brand name for a software application and online service that enables voice and video phone calls over the internet.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to participate in a real-time conversation with (one or more people) using Skype.

Etymology

Origin of Skype

First recorded in 2000–05; short for “Sky peer-to-peer”

Example Sentences

WhatsApp then strangled Skype on smartphones, and the “go around and strangle” dance continues.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

But AT&T didn’t learn anything, especially when Skype went around it and enabled almost-free international calls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

A physics conference first brought him into the orbit of Jaan Tallinn, the Skype co-founder who has become one of the biggest philanthropists funding AI safety efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

Erica said she then began a brief conversation back and forth "over a period of weeks" - where she would send a message to his Skype address, then reply to herself from his account.

From BBC • May 3, 2025

I slam my laptop down, abruptly ending my Skype call with Stella as Barb and I stare at each other in a classic Old Western standoff.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott