skirt

American  

[skurt] / skɜrt /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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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

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

Etymology

Origin of skirt

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

Example Sentences

Known for her cutting-edge red-carpet fashion choices, she wore a dark, silken folded dress with large ruffles in the skirt.

From BBC

Watched on by Stella McCartney and Skepta, her show featured vibrant red and blue hues and eye-catching multicolour tartan dresses and skirts with matching hats and ties.

From BBC

With the leak's Maryland location upriver from Washington, much of it found its way to the waters skirting the US capital.

From Barron's

This can allow them to sell stock during blackout periods and skirt stock-sale rules that would otherwise apply to corporate insiders.

From Barron's

Angela picked a piece of lint off her blue skirt and then stood at attention, her back perfectly straight, just like in the training videos.

From Literature

Related Words

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