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
Yeah, the skit you used of him saying “I’m just a man from the ghetto” on the song really summarizes that.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 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
That reality of the current Jewish anxiety was captured in a recent Israeli comedy skit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
There was a skit in which the Panther mascot moved about ripping up paper tombstones symbolizing Permian’s fallen opponents.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
Through its avant-garde live skits, the group has weighed in on topics like race, immigration and politics, including the 2016 election race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 12, 2026
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
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
He gives it five stars for its "array of increasingly bonkers skits", saying that watching it "gives the sense of being wrapped in a warm, felt-based comfort blanket".
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
Anne, Ernestine, and Martha had less and less time for family games, for plays, and skits.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
