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
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
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.
See Examples For:
Lumen has followed up with another comedy skit, including one about a company lawyer who zealously stops Seattleites from uttering the brand’s name.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 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
“Is this like an ‘SNL’ skit or something?” he asked when nobody made the changes he was looking for.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 2, 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
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
The overall feeling was that there were hits and misses during the 75-minute opener on Sky One, with its skits on Paddington, Hamnet and Sir David Attenborough.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 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
Rasheed can do a pretty great British accent and boasts a relaxed and natural confidence honed from starring in his own comedy skits on YouTube.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026
Only natural that his skits and videos gained traction—first hundreds of followers, then thousands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 19, 2025
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.
