noun
-
a minor short-lived military engagement
-
any brisk clash or encounter, usually of a minor nature
verb
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 ( 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-
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.
Capt. Williams’s skirmish is a reminder that the U.S. and the Soviets did a fair bit of fighting without ending up in an apocalyptic conflict.
There’s a glint of drama in that Neytiri doesn’t want to risk a custody skirmish with Spider’s biological father.
From Los Angeles Times
But he’s not much help to her, and as the title implies, this is merely one skirmish in humanity’s sprawling struggle for freedom that has, and will, drag on forever.
From Los Angeles Times
But ministers avoided a legislative skirmish over the proposals last year, as they were not included in the law to rubber-stamp the 2024 Budget.
From BBC
The skirmish was just the latest between YouTube and a major programming company.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
