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
Rance was out in the boat before the pink had come upon the lake, while Milton was "skirmishing" for some milk.
From Short Stories of Various Types by Laura F. Freck
While Horry was skirmishing with Campbell, Major John Postelle, who was stationed to guard the lower part of the Pedee, succeeded in capturing Captain Depeyster, with twenty-nine grenadiers.
From The Life of Francis Marion by William Gilmore Simms
There was skirmishing yesterday evening on the Chickahominy.
From A Rebel War Clerk's Diary at the Confederate States Capital by John Beauchamp Jones
Black soon reported that he had met the advance of the Federal cavalry one and a half miles from Brice's Cross Roads and there was skirmishing with them.
From The Black Phalanx African American soldiers in the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and the Civil War by Joseph T. (Joseph Thomas) Wilson
