skiff
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of skiff
1565–75; < early Italian schifo < Old High German scif ship 1
Explanation
A skiff is a small boat. If you decide to purchase a skiff instead of giant yacht, you're probably someone who prefers the quiet, simple life. (Or maybe you just didn’t want to spend the money on a yacht.) A skiff may be powered by oars, sails, or a motor, but in any of these cases, a typical skiff can carry only a few passengers. Skiff originally referred to a small boat attached to a large ship; the skiff would have been used for communication with and transportation to other large ships and the shore. Winslow Homer, a 19th-century American artist, often portrayed skiffs in his depictions of marine scenes.
Vocabulary lists containing skiff
Touching Spirit Bear
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
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The Old Man and the Sea
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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.
Andrew Milich and Jason Ginsberg had earlier created Skiff, which promised encrypted and secure file storage, and was acquired by AI firm Notion in 2024.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026
“It’s the name most people know at grocery stores,” said Eddie Brennan, the president of family-owned Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette, N.Y., makers of 1911 Established ciders.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
Beak & Skiff Apple Orchards in LaFayette, N.Y., grows the Honeycrisp apples for this sweet and juicy crowd-pleaser.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 25, 2025
In future, it is hoped teams will also be able travel to races in Scotland and Ireland, where Skiff building schemes have been growing in popularity since 2009.
From BBC • Dec. 27, 2023
When I’m done, Captain Keelson sighs and goes, “He’s correct, you know, Amos. There’s very little we can do. It’s an awkward situation. Big Skiff and Jack Croft have a history. Best not to meddle.”
From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick
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.
