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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.

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

First she had to get from the Caracas suburb where she has been in hiding for a year to a coastal fishing village, where a skiff awaited her.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 10, 2025

The first sailing medals of the Games will be awarded in the skiff class.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2024

They also had recovered their skiff, which sustained damage that rendered it non-functional, and said they needed help getting back to Polowat.

From BBC • Apr. 11, 2024

In fact, a lot of times, depending on his shift, he’d come out with me after school to haul in my catch and toss the keepers into the baskets on my skiff.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

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.