skirmish
noun
a fight between small bodies of troops, especially advanced or outlying detachments of opposing armies.
was skirmishing
-
past progressiveof skirmish.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
In Laos, there was skirmishing around the government-held bases of Sam Thong and Long Cheng.
From Time Magazine Archive
In this way there was skirmishing throughout the day; the French and Indians advancing as near as the covert of the woods would permit.
From The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving For Young Persons and for the Use of Schools by Washington Irving
Some opposition was made from behind baggage wagons, and there was skirmishing in various quarters, but in a little while there was a universal flight to the river and the woods.
From The Student's Life of Washington; Condensed from the Larger Work of Washington Irving For Young Persons and for the Use of Schools by Washington Irving
On the 28th there was skirmishing the greater part of the day, and in the evening, as Washington reports, "it was pretty smart."
From The Campaign of 1776 around New York and Brooklyn by Henry P. Johnston
This afternoon there was skirmishing on the right, between the picket lines, with varied success.
From A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital by John Beauchamp Jones
