skip
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to move in a light, springy manner by bounding forward with alternate hops on each foot.
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to pass from one point, thing, subject, etc., to another, disregarding or omitting what intervenes.
He skipped through the book quickly.
- Synonyms:
- skim
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to go away hastily and secretly; flee without notice.
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Education. to be advanced two or more classes or grades at once.
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to ricochet or bounce along a surface.
The stone skipped over the lake.
verb (used with object)
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to jump lightly over.
The horse skipped the fence.
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to pass over without reading, noting, acting, etc..
He skipped the bad parts.
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to miss or omit (one of a repeated series of rhythmic actions).
My heart skipped a beat.
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to be absent from; avoid attendance at.
to skip a school class.
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to send (a missile) ricocheting along a surface.
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Informal. to leave hastily and secretly or to flee from (a place).
They skipped town.
noun
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a skipping movement; a light jump or bounce.
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a gait marked by such jumps.
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a passing from one point or thing to another, with disregard of what intervenes.
a quick skip through Europe.
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Music. a melodic interval greater than a second.
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a natural depression below the surface of a planed board.
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Informal. a person who has absconded in order to avoid paying debts or meeting other financial responsibilities.
verb phrase
verb
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to spring or move lightly, esp to move by hopping from one foot to the other
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(intr) to jump over a skipping-rope
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to cause (a stone, etc) to bounce or skim over a surface or (of a stone) to move in this way
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to omit (intervening matter), as in passing from one part or subject to another
he skipped a chapter of the book
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informal to read or deal with quickly or superficially
he skipped through the accounts before dinner
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informal (tr) to miss deliberately
to skip school
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informal (tr) to leave (a place) in haste or secrecy
to skip town
noun
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a skipping movement or gait
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the act of passing over or omitting
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music another word for leap
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informal it doesn't matter!
noun
noun
noun
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a large open container for transporting building materials, etc
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a cage used as a lift in mines, etc
noun
Synonym Usage
Skip, bound refer to an elastic, springing movement. To skip is to give a series of light, quick hops alternating the feet: to skip about. Bound suggests a series of long, rather vigorous leaps; it is also applied to a springing or leaping type of walking or running rapidly and actively: A dog came bounding up to meet him.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of skip1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English verb skippen, perhaps from Old Norse skopa “to take a run” (compare Icelandic skoppa “to spin like a top, hop,” Swedish dialect skopa “to skip”); the noun is derivative of the verb
Origin of skip2
First recorded in 1820–30; short for skipper 1
Origin of skip3
First recorded in 1805–15; alteration of skep
Explanation
When you skip, you do a little hop from foot to foot as you move along. It's pretty common to see little kids skip down the sidewalk or across the playground. While a happy, running hop is one kind of skip, you can also use this verb to mean "pass up" or "pass over." You might arrive late to the movies and skip the trailers at the beginning, or skip the bread basket at a restaurant so you have room for dessert later. The earliest meaning of skip, from the 1300's, is "to spring lightly," from the Old Norse root word skopa.
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.
See Examples For:
The fast-food standards have them, of course, but so do regional chains and neighborhood coffee shops: download this, order ahead, skip the line, collect points, save your usual.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
And California law does allow parents to skip immunizations for children who are enrolled in independent study programs and do not receive classroom-based instruction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
The indictment, which allows prosecutors to skip California's preliminary hearing process, did not specify details on Reiner's alleged actions the night his parents died.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
A few days later, DeVaux said that Golden Tempo would skip the Preakness and await the Belmont Stakes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
“Bye-bye, baby,” she sang, “have to skip the jump to dreamland!”
From "Boy 2.0" by Tracey Baptiste
More than 20 players skipped football practice at Contreras in downtown Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
The Slovenian-born former model skipped a number of other major events including the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner on July 24, despite having attended the first version in April, which was disrupted by a gunman.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
“I’ve skipped the next four deliveries,” said the 65-year-old who lives in Herndon, Va., and has ordered from Blue Apron for a decade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
When the time came to get an education, he skipped College Station for stints in New Haven and Cambridge.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026
I chirped, and practically skipped up next to her.
From "The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller
When I joked, “I didn’t realize I was communicating with the NSA,” without skipping a beat, he replied: “breaking news the fbi let a spy get shot 5 times!”
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
I highly recommend skipping Google, skipping ChatGPT, and going straight to INeedAnA.com.”
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
Plyometric exercises — explosive, fast-paced movements, like jumping, skipping, running and hopping — are critical in balance training for fall prevention, she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
“One of the reasons why you see restaurants hopping and skipping back and forth between platforms is that they’re slightly dissatisfied,” said Mike Anthony, executive chef at Gramercy Tavern in New York City.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Dad would come with us occasionally, but after she died, we started skipping even some of the holidays.
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
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.
