Dictionary.com

skirl

[ skurl ]
/ skɜrl /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: skirl / skirled / skirling / skirls on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)
to play the bagpipe.
Scot. and North England. to shriek.
noun
the sound of a bagpipe.
Scot. and North England. any shrill sound.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of skirl

1350–1400; Middle English scirlen,skrillen (v.), perhaps <Scandinavian; compare Norwegian skrella boom, crash
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use skirl in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for skirl

skirl
/ (skɜːl, Scottish skɪrl) /

verb (intr)
Scot and Northern English dialect (esp of bagpipes) to emit a shrill sound
to play the bagpipes
noun
the sound of bagpipes
a shrill sound

Word Origin for skirl

C14: probably of Scandinavian origin; see shrill
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
FEEDBACK