1
a(1)
: a free-hanging part of an outer garment or undergarment extending from the waist down
(2)
: a separate free-hanging outer garment or undergarment usually worn by women and girls covering some or all of the body from the waist down
b
: either of two usually leather flaps on a saddle covering the bars on which the stirrups are hung
c
: a cloth facing that hangs from the bottom edge or across the front of a piece of furniture
d
: the lower branches of a tree when near the ground
2
a
: the rim, periphery, or environs of an area
b
skirts plural
: outlying parts (as of a town or city)
3
: a part or attachment serving as a rim, border, or edging
4
slang
: a girl or woman
skirted; skirting; skirts
1
: to form or run along the border or edge of : border
2
a
: to provide a skirt for
b
: to furnish a border or shield for
3
a
: to go or pass around or about
specifically
: to go around or keep away from in order to avoid danger or discovery
b
: to avoid especially because of difficulty or fear of controversy
skirted the issue
c
: to evade or miss by a narrow margin
having skirted disaster—
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
: to be, lie, or move along an edge or border
skirter
noun
Synonyms
Examples of skirt in a Sentence
Noun
She was wearing a short skirt.
The skirt of her coat got caught in the car door.
They put a protective skirt around the base of the machine.
Verb
The mayor skirted the issue by saying that a committee was looking into the problem.
They tried to skirt the new regulations.
He tried to skirt around the question.
Pine trees skirt the northern edge of the pond.
The road skirts around the lake.
We skirted around the edge of the city.
Recent Examples on the WebNicol Natale, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
For a business casual look, try wearing a slouch bag with a skirt set and loafers or a blazer and jeans paired with sneakers.
—Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
Add Polish to a Denim Skirt With a Sweater Vest
Denim skirts aren’t going anywhere.
—Christina Holevas, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
The group’s Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest non-state bank, was sanctioned by the EU in March 2022, prompting Fridman to leave the board to try to help the bank skirt sanctions.
—Samuel Petrequin, Fortune Europe, 11 Apr. 2024
Black Midi Skirt This is an all-seasons skirt that practically lives in my suitcase.
—Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
Style Shop affordable tennis skirts, maxi dresses, linen pants, and more.
—Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 6 Apr. 2024
In another episode, Mr. David casts a cool eye on Paula, an escort who is turned out in the standard trappings of her trade: a bustier, a tiny skirt and fishnet hose.
—Ruth La Ferla, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Complete with ruffle sleeves, the blouse can be tucked into jeans or worn with a skirt.
—Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
Through these, a couple of years and a few hundred thousand dollars or so can yield citizenship in a new country, allowing the recipients to skirt taxes in the U.S. or simply have a place to flee should something apocalyptic transpire, says Lesperance.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
The group cut their own path to build an audience by skirting small venue shows in new markets for better paying, better attended backyard parties.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2024
Previously, Apple had prohibited many iOS apps from skirting the 30% charge by accepting payments outside of Apple’s proprietary payment system.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
Texas lawmakers who helped pass the bipartisan law last year told The Post that the district is violating the spirit of the Crown Act and skirting the law by arguing over hair length.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Some members of the board grew concerned that Mr. Altman used the fund to skirt accountability from OpenAI’s nonprofit governance structure.
—Cade Metz, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The Supreme Court at the time skirted whether Trump engaged in insurrection.
—Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024
A number of imports traditionally coming from China have shifted to other Asian markets – Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Japan – for either manufacture or final assembly to skirt the tariffs.
—Ken Roberts, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
Pleats are another Hollywood go-to, and this tennis skirt is full of them.
—Nicol Natale, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
For a business casual look, try wearing a slouch bag with a skirt set and loafers or a blazer and jeans paired with sneakers.
—Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
Add Polish to a Denim Skirt With a Sweater Vest
Denim skirts aren’t going anywhere.
—Christina Holevas, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024
The group’s Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest non-state bank, was sanctioned by the EU in March 2022, prompting Fridman to leave the board to try to help the bank skirt sanctions.
—Samuel Petrequin, Fortune Europe, 11 Apr. 2024
Black Midi Skirt This is an all-seasons skirt that practically lives in my suitcase.
—Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
Style Shop affordable tennis skirts, maxi dresses, linen pants, and more.
—Lauren Taylor, Southern Living, 6 Apr. 2024
In another episode, Mr. David casts a cool eye on Paula, an escort who is turned out in the standard trappings of her trade: a bustier, a tiny skirt and fishnet hose.
—Ruth La Ferla, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Complete with ruffle sleeves, the blouse can be tucked into jeans or worn with a skirt.
—Amy Schulman, Peoplemag, 30 Mar. 2024
Verb
The vacuum quickly got to work, skirting easily around tables and chairs to find hidden dirt and sucking it up into the internal dust canister.
—Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
Through these, a couple of years and a few hundred thousand dollars or so can yield citizenship in a new country, allowing the recipients to skirt taxes in the U.S. or simply have a place to flee should something apocalyptic transpire, says Lesperance.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 7 Mar. 2024
The group cut their own path to build an audience by skirting small venue shows in new markets for better paying, better attended backyard parties.
—Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 2 Mar. 2024
Previously, Apple had prohibited many iOS apps from skirting the 30% charge by accepting payments outside of Apple’s proprietary payment system.
—Samantha Delouya, CNN, 26 Feb. 2024
Texas lawmakers who helped pass the bipartisan law last year told The Post that the district is violating the spirit of the Crown Act and skirting the law by arguing over hair length.
—Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 23 Feb. 2024
Some members of the board grew concerned that Mr. Altman used the fund to skirt accountability from OpenAI’s nonprofit governance structure.
—Cade Metz, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The Supreme Court at the time skirted whether Trump engaged in insurrection.
—Gillian Brassil, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024
A number of imports traditionally coming from China have shifted to other Asian markets – Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Japan – for either manufacture or final assembly to skirt the tariffs.
—Ken Roberts, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skirt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near skirt
Cite this Entry
“Skirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skirt. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
skirt
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a free-hanging part of a garment extending from the waist down
b
: a separate free-hanging garment usually worn by women and girls covering the body from the waist down
c
: either of two flaps on a saddle covering the bars on which the stirrups are hung
2
plural
: outskirts
3
: a part or attachment serving as a rim, border, or edging
skirt
2 of 2 verb1
a
: to go or pass around or about
especially
: to go around or keep away from in order to avoid danger or discovery
b
: to escape or miss by a narrow margin
2
: to be, lie, or move along an edge, border, or margin
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