skirt

[ skurt ]

noun

1. the part of a gown, dress, slip, or coat that extends downward from the waist.
2. a one-piece garment extending downward from the waist and not joined between the legs, worn especially by women and girls.
3. some part resembling or suggesting the skirt of a garment, as the flared lip of a bell or a protective and ornamental cloth strip covering the legs of furniture.
4. a small leather flap on each side of a saddle, covering the metal bar from which the stirrup hangs.
5. Building Trades.
   1. baseboard ( def 1 ).
   2. apron ( def 13 ).
6. Also called apron. Furniture.
   1. a flat horizontal brace set immediately beneath the seat of a chair, chest of drawers, or the like, to strengthen the legs.
   2. Also called bed, frieze.. a flat brace or support immediately beneath a tabletop.
7. Usually skirts. the bordering, marginal, or outlying part of a place, group, etc.; the outskirts.
8. Older Slang: Usually Disparaging and Offensive. a term used to refer to a woman or girl:

   to chase some skirt;

   a skirt chaser.

9. Rocketry. an outer part of a rocket or missile that provides structural support or houses such systems as avionics or gyroscopes.

verb (used with object)

1. to lie on or along the border of:

   The hills skirt the town.

2. to border, wrap, or cover with a skirt or something suggesting a skirt in appearance or function.
3. to pass along or around the border or edge of:

   Traffic skirts the town.

4. to avoid, go around the edge of, or keep distant from (something that is controversial, risky, etc.):

   The senator skirted the issue.

   Synonyms: bypass, circle, shun, evade

5. to remove low-grade wool and foreign matter from (the outer edge of fleece).

verb (used without object)

1. to be or lie on or along the edge of something.
2. to move along or around the border of something.

skirt

/ skɜːt /

noun

1. a garment hanging from the waist, worn chiefly by women and girls
2. the part of a dress below the waist
3. Also calledapron a frieze or circular flap, as round the base of a hovercraft
4. the flaps on a saddle that protect a rider's legs
5. a cut of beef from the flank
6. often plural a margin or outlying area
7. the lower part of a sheep's fleece
8. bit of skirt slang.
   a girl or woman

verb

1. tr to form the edge of
2. tr to provide with a border
3. whenintr, foll by around, along, etc to pass (by) or be situated (near) the outer edge of (an area, etc)
4. tr to avoid (a difficulty, etc)

   he skirted the issue

5. to remove the trimmings or inferior wool from (a fleece)

Derived Forms

• ˈskirted, adjective

Other Words From

• skirtless adjective
• skirtlike adjective
• un·skirted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of skirt¹

1250–1300; Middle English skirte < Old Norse skyrta shirt

Word History and Origins

Origin of skirt¹

C13: from Old Norse skyrta shirt

Example Sentences

Later in the day the court heard a statement from Dominique Pelicot given to police in November 2020, two months after he was caught filming under women's skirts by a supermarket security guard.

From BBC

Hoover notes that there are ways Trump might skirt the legislative process to enact his will as he appoints people to leadership positions ranging from health care to the U.S.

From Salon

This is clear in her use of unconventional materials like spoons, rosette prize ribbons, belts and silver plates — everyday items that she recontextualizes to stunning effect in dresses, skirts, and tops.

From Los Angeles Times

Labor Department’s wage and hour division, said operators like Mr. Perez go “in and out of business under multiple names,” skirting responsibility by creating a “game of Whac-a-Mole.”

From New York Times

In September 2020, Dominique Pelicot was spotted filming under women's skirts by a security guard in a supermarket in southern France.

From BBC

Related Words

• bypass
• circumvent
• dodge
• elude
• evade
• ignore
• sidestep