skit
Americannoun
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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
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
Haiti Earthquake One-Year Report
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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.
Mills was last seen on TV in March on a Traitors skit during Comic Relief.
From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026
His rants would be worthy of a “Saturday Night Live” skit if they weren’t so dangerous.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
If only the hearing were a comedy skit.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026
Consider a skit from the “Key & Peele” show that imagined a situation in which passengers with all sorts of odd statuses gained early boarding privileges.
From MarketWatch • Jan. 21, 2026
Yet I had to fight him as I could, in terms he understood, even though we sounded like characters in a razor-slinging vaudeville skit.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
