skirmish

American  

[skur-mish] / ˈskɜr mɪʃ /

noun

1. Military. a fight between small bodies of troops, especially advanced or outlying detachments of opposing armies.

   Synonyms:

   brush, combat

2. any brisk conflict or encounter.

   She had a skirmish with her landlord about the rent.

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verb (used without object)

1. to engage in a skirmish.

skirmish British  

/ ˈskɜːmɪʃ /

noun

1. a minor short-lived military engagement

2. any brisk clash or encounter, usually of a minor nature

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verb

1. to engage in a skirmish

Related Words

See battle ¹.

Other Word Forms

• outskirmish
  verb (used with object)
• skirmisher
  noun

Etymology

Origin of skirmish

1300–50; (noun) Middle English skirmysshe < Old French eskirmiss-, long stem of eskirmir < Germanic (compare Old High German skirman ); replacing Middle English scarmouche < Old French escaramoucher ( see Scaramouch); (v.) late Middle English scarmuchen, scarmusshen to skirmish, Middle English skirmisshen to brandish a weapon < Old French escar ( a ) mucher to skirmish; vowels influenced by Old French eskirmiss-

Explanation

A skirmish is a small fight — more a dust-up than a full-out battle — and it can refer to a physical fight or just a battle of words. It is definitely confrontational, though. Think of a skirmish as kind of a mini-battle, although a military skirmish can end with casualties. Still, although such an encounter can be serious, even the very word skirmish sounds slight, like a stirring of dust in the breeze. Shakespeare referred to the combative nature of his characters Beatrice and Benedick, in "Much Ado About Nothing," as "a kind of merry war betwixt Signior Benedick and her: they never meet but there's a skirmish of wit between them."

Example Sentences

To an outsider, the situation in Oxford might seem like a classic local skirmish between angry residents and their council.

From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026

This being “Primal,” they’re set upon by a group of diminutive flesh-eaters with jagged teeth, igniting a life-or-death skirmish that, miraculously, steals the viewer’s breath.

From Salon • Feb. 1, 2026

Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault said the post-game skirmish was the result of lax officiating.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

During yet another skirmish outside, a woman came in sobbing.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2026

I couldn’t see the giant or any fetterlings now, but I could still hear the rustling, rattling skirmish.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Related Words

• altercation
• argument
• battle
• bout
• brawl
• clash
• combat
• conflict
• confrontation
• disagreement
• dispute
• encounter
• feud
• fisticuffs
• fracas
• melee
• quarrel
• run-in
• scuffle
• strife