skirt

[skurt]

noun

1. the part of a gown, dress, slip, or coat that extends downward from the waist.

2. a one-piece garment extending downward from the waist and not joined between the legs, worn especially by women and girls.

3. some part resembling or suggesting the skirt of a garment, as the flared lip of a bell or a protective and ornamental cloth strip covering the legs of furniture.

4. a small leather flap on each side of a saddle, covering the metal bar from which the stirrup hangs.

5. Building Trades.

   1. baseboard.

   2. apron.

6. Also called apron. Furniture.

   1. a flat horizontal brace set immediately beneath the seat of a chair, chest of drawers, or the like, to strengthen the legs.

   2. Also called bed, frieze. a flat brace or support immediately beneath a tabletop.

7. Usually skirts the bordering, marginal, or outlying part of a place, group, etc.; the outskirts.

8. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive.,  a term used to refer to a woman or girl.

   to chase some skirt;

   a skirt chaser.

9. Rocketry.,  an outer part of a rocket or missile that provides structural support or houses such systems as avionics or gyroscopes.

verb (used with object)

1. to lie on or along the border of.

   The hills skirt the town.

2. to border, wrap, or cover with a skirt or something suggesting a skirt in appearance or function.

3. to pass along or around the border or edge of.

   Traffic skirts the town.

4. to avoid, go around the edge of, or keep distant from (something that is controversial, risky, etc.).

   The senator skirted the issue.

   Synonyms: bypass, circle, shun, evade

5. to remove low-grade wool and foreign matter from (the outer edge of fleece).

verb (used without object)

1. to be or lie on or along the edge of something.

2. to move along or around the border of something.

skirt

/ skɜːt /

noun

1. a garment hanging from the waist, worn chiefly by women and girls

2. the part of a dress below the waist

3. Also called: apron. a frieze or circular flap, as round the base of a hovercraft

4. the flaps on a saddle that protect a rider's legs

5. a cut of beef from the flank

6. (often plural) a margin or outlying area

7. the lower part of a sheep's fleece

8. slang,  a girl or woman

verb

1. (tr) to form the edge of

2. (tr) to provide with a border

3. to pass (by) or be situated (near) the outer edge of (an area, etc)

4. (tr) to avoid (a difficulty, etc)

   he skirted the issue

5. to remove the trimmings or inferior wool from (a fleece)

Other Word Forms

• skirtless adjective
• skirtlike adjective
• unskirted adjective
• skirted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of skirt¹

1250–1300; Middle English skirte < Old Norse skyrta shirt

Word History and Origins

Origin of skirt¹

C13: from Old Norse skyrta _shirt

Example Sentences

It is bringing lawsuits on behalf of a truck driver who asked to wear a skirt on the job because of her Apostolic Christian beliefs and a ski-area employee fired after writing faith-related social-media posts.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He is especially winning when he barely skirts the sentimental or ill-mannered.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

They’re wearing shin plates engraved with illustrations of animals, and those skirts that Roman warriors used to wear.

Read more on Literature

Madame paused to rearrange her skirts, now that the smelly baby was gone from her lap, and drew her three eldest children close to her.

Read more on Literature

Penelope obliged, although she was not wearing an apron and the flour made white streaks on her skirt.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• bypass 
• circumvent 
• dodge 
• elude 
• evade 
• ignore 
• sidestep