Skype

American  

[skahyp] / skaɪp /

Trademark.

1. a brand name for a software application and online service that enables voice and video phone calls over the internet.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to participate in a real-time conversation with (one or more people) using Skype.

Etymology

Origin of Skype

First recorded in 2000–05; short for “Sky peer-to-peer”

Example Sentences

Video calling has been around for decades—since at least 2003, when Skype came on the scene.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

But AT&T didn’t learn anything, especially when Skype went around it and enabled almost-free international calls.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

A physics conference first brought him into the orbit of Jaan Tallinn, the Skype co-founder who has become one of the biggest philanthropists funding AI safety efforts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 4, 2026

Officials say they have blocked nearly 4,000 Skype IDs and over 83,000 WhatsApp accounts linked to the fraud.

From BBC • Sep. 7, 2025

I was folding up my boxers when Mom hollered that Mamou and Babou were on Skype.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram