skit
Americannoun
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skits
plural
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a short literary piece of a humorous or satirical character.
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a short theatrical sketch or act, usually comical.
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a gibe or taunt.
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British Dialect. a joke or prank.
noun
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a brief satirical theatrical sketch
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a short satirical piece of writing
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a trick or hoax
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of skit
First recorded in 1565–75; of obscure origin
Explanation
A skit is a funny or informative short play. It's usually more fun to perform a skit about an alien invasion than a skit about workplace safety. You might watch a skit about bullying at school, and the local theater troupe may perform skits in the park for kids. In stand-up or improvisational comedy, skits are more commonly called "sketches." Skit comes from the now-obsolete Scottish skit, "a vain, frivolous, or wanton girl," which became "a satirical remark" in English, and then "a piece of light satire."
Vocabulary lists containing skit
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Conventions, Writing, and Speaking & Listening, Unit 2
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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.
See Examples For:
SK Hynix employees’ lofty standing in society got parodied in a viral “Saturday Night Live Korea” skit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
For many young people, the skit captures a familiar dynamic: their wishes are ignored by parents who claim to be doing things for their own good.
From BBC ● Jun. 13, 2026
In one skit between innings, a character wore a sign around its neck that said “ICE.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
Teams of up to five members performed a skit before propelling their carts down the course.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2026
“Okay, you guys, break up into groups according to your skits and tell us what your skit is going to be,” Bobbie Sue shouted.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
As it happens, the preacher is an online comedian named Louisa Melcher, and the sermon is one of her skits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 14, 2026
Classic Morecambe and Wise skits will be played on the big screen at Morecambe Winter Gardens from 12:00 - 15:00 on 16 and 17 May.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
Late-night host Conan O’Brien also amplified the persona through recurring skits, culminating in the comedic appearance by Norris himself on O’Brien’s show.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 20, 2026
“They figured I did skits around the house. They figured I had a calling, or whatever, in that line.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
We are preparing skits for Thanksgiving, two weeks away.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
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.
