skirmish

1 of 2

noun

skir·mish ˈskər-mish

Synonyms of skirmish

: a minor fight in war usually incidental to larger movements

: a brisk preliminary verbal conflict

: a minor dispute or contest between opposing parties

the debate touched off a skirmish

skirmish

2 of 2

verb

skirmished; skirmishing; skirmishes

intransitive verb

: to engage in a skirmish

: 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

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Noun

Pantani had targeted this stage from the start of the Tour and his Mercatone Uno team helped set the pace as the peloton made their way from Saint-Étienne to the foot of the Alpe but even once there Pantani bided his time in the early skirmishes. — Duncan Alexander, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Border skirmishes also recurred, most notably the 1967 clashes between Chinese and Indian troops near Nathu La and Cho La, passes along the Tibet-Sikkim border, that resulted in heavy casualties. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 July 2026

Verb

The profile of today’s stage was custom-designed for a large breakaway, and after plenty of skirmishing on the category one Côte d’Engins, eventually a 14-rider front group achieved some separation. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 23 July 2026 Over the last few months, the two have occasionally skirmished along their winding, porous frontier as tension has escalated. — ABC News, 27 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for skirmish

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

See more words from the same century

Browse Nearby Words

skirl

skirmish

skirmisher

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Skirmish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skirmish. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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Kids Definition

skirmish

1 of 2 noun

skir·mish ˈskər-mish

: a minor fight between small bodies of troops

: a minor dispute or contest

skirmish

2 of 2 verb

: to engage in a skirmish

: to search about (as for supplies)

skirmisher noun

skirmish

noun

verb

Synonyms of skirmish

Examples of skirmish in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

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