skirmish

1 of 2

noun

skir·​mish ˈskər-mish How to pronounce skirmish (audio)
1
: a minor fight in war usually incidental to larger movements
2
a
: a brisk preliminary verbal conflict
b
: a minor dispute or contest between opposing parties
the debate touched off a skirmish

skirmish

2 of 2

verb

skirmished; skirmishing; skirmishes

intransitive verb

1
: to engage in a skirmish
2
: to search about (as for supplies) : scout around
skirmisher noun

Examples of skirmish in a Sentence

Noun Skirmishes broke out between rebel groups. Violent skirmishes with the enemy continue despite talks of peace. Verb Rebel groups are skirmishing with military forces. The presidential candidates skirmished over their economic plans.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Do not react to him, and don’t engage in any social media skirmishes or drama concerning him. Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024 While the extent of the skirmishes in border villages is not clear, drone strikes and shelling on Belgorod have increased markedly in the past week. Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 The current skirmish is Peltz’s second attempt to gain more influence over the legendary company and its executives. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024 The photo created such a skirmish that by Monday morning, the photo’s editor had to issue an apology to the official X account of the Prince and Princess of Wales. Alex Cranz, The Verge, 11 Mar. 2024 The recent skirmish has now heightened a fear that has preoccupied Middle Easterners since Hamas’s gruesome attacks on October 7 ushered in a new war with Israel: Could the war spread to an all-out conflagration involving Hamas’s main backer, Iran? Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 12 Jan. 2024 On February 23, the short sellers — 10.58% of Super Micro’s float is sold short, according to the Wall Street Journal — won a skirmish in this battle. Peter Cohan, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 It’s become the latest skirmish in a wider culture war, much of it centered on the speed of the economic and social transition in response to climate change. Nayla Razzouk, Fortune Europe, 13 Feb. 2024 The Erasmus was once part of a five-vessel Dutch fleet with 500 sailors, but after years of skirmishes with the Spanish and Portuguese, plus rampant vitamin deficiencies, only a dozen men remain. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Feb. 2024
Verb
As recently as the 1960s, China and the Soviet Union were quarreling over the placement of their border and their troops skirmished. Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2023 War in the Middle East As a protest calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip blocked southbound traffic on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles, video footage showed angry motorists skirmishing with demonstrators. Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023 Protesters also smashed windows at the Indian consulate In San Francisco and skirmished with embassy workers. Time, 20 Sep. 2023 Its constituent economies have performed unevenly, and its member states have occasionally locked horns, with India and China violently skirmishing along their rugged, contested border. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023 Investigators were looking for evidence of stock price manipulation between February and March when the two camps were skirmishing. Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Apr. 2023 Bohdan Tsymbal, an Azov junior sergeant, staged lighting raids with his artillery unit to skirmish with Russian fighters and gather supplies for the civilians inside the plant. New York Times, 20 July 2022 Dealing with caffeine withdrawals while simultaneously trying to skirmish for the last tin of beans is not ideal. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 26 Feb. 2022 Protesters also skirmished with officers, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas in a repeat of Tuesday night's confrontation. Doug Glass, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skirmish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English skyrmissh, alteration (influenced by Anglo-French eskermir to fence (with swords), protect, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German scirmen to protect, scirm shield) of skarmuch, from Anglo-French escarmuche, from Old Italian scaramuccia — more at screen

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of skirmish was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near skirmish

Cite this Entry

“Skirmish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skirmish. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

skirmish

1 of 2 noun
skir·​mish ˈskər-mish How to pronounce skirmish (audio)
1
: a minor fight between small bodies of troops
2
: a minor dispute or contest

skirmish

2 of 2 verb
1
: to engage in a skirmish
2
: to search about (as for supplies)
skirmisher noun

More from Merriam-Webster on skirmish

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