noun
-
a minor short-lived military engagement
-
any brisk clash or encounter, usually of a minor nature
verb
Related Words
See battle 1.
Other Word Forms
- outskirmish verb (used with object)
- skirmisher noun
Etymology
Origin of skirmish
1300–50; (noun) Middle English skirmysshe < Old French eskirmiss-, long stem of eskirmir < Germanic (compare Old High German skirman ); replacing Middle English scarmouche < Old French escaramoucher ( Scaramouch ); (v.) late Middle English scarmuchen, scarmusshen to skirmish, Middle English skirmisshen to brandish a weapon < Old French escar ( a ) mucher to skirmish; vowels influenced by Old French eskirmiss-
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.
The Jan. 29 meeting was a byproduct of a legal skirmish between the Fed and the Justice Department.
From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026
To an outsider, the situation in Oxford might seem like a classic local skirmish between angry residents and their council.
From BBC • Feb. 25, 2026
During yet another skirmish outside, a woman came in sobbing.
From Slate • Jan. 25, 2026
But he’s not much help to her, and as the title implies, this is merely one skirmish in humanity’s sprawling struggle for freedom that has, and will, drag on forever.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025
I had learned the spelling and definition of the word skirmish, which I had added to my notepad to memorize that day.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
