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:
His boss offered Hassabis a million pounds to skip college, but he turned down the money and went to Cambridge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"If you auditioned for the play, then you got to skip out math class," he recalled.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Many California students who plan to apply to UC skip the tests, and many of them also apply to USC, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Others pay late or skip town when they cannot pay.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
She’s nailed the skip with her right leg but doesn’t quite have it with her left.
From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko
It never healed, and Capra even skipped Riskin’s funeral.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Mine is that I put in the hours, skipped trips I wanted to take and turned down a chance to go part time at 58 because I wanted us secure.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Patel, who skipped the UK in 2011 never to return, was eventually convicted in his absence and in 2023 was handed a 20-year prison sentence.
From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026
World number 18 Eala, who skipped the prestigious China Open to play in Nagoya, was looking to become the first woman from the Philippines to win the title.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
The Recollection skipped forward, moving through flashes of bright images, slowing into real time only when a second car barreled down the road.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
This is reflected in his campaign’s perhaps oversimplified yard signs, the majority of which carry only two words “Sununu, Senator,” prompting plenty of residents to wonder if he’s deliberately skipping listing his first name.
From Slate ● Oct. 29, 2026
In truth, skipping any of them would be a pity, for they all offer something alluring.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Except when the moment arrived, she inexplicably dodged it, skipping the song’s first chorus and soft-pedaling the second — an anticlimax for the ages.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
She said some families on the lowest incomes were going to have to make decisions such as whether to "prioritise feeding their children over themselves", skipping meals and choosing not to heat their homes.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
One moment he had been skipping through the air and the next...gone.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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