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.
“You feel a little bit like Captain Kirk on that ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit where they said, ‘It was just a TV show, you guys!’
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
He was last seen on TV in a Traitors skit during Comic Relief.
From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026
Together they brought the trophies to the dugout from center field while riding in the back of a blue convertible driven by Ferrell as part of an elaborate video skit.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 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
It seems like she’s following along fine so far, but I feel like we’re in a Saturday Night Live skit titled “The Most Awkward Family Dinner in the History of the Underworld.”
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
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.
