skirt

1 of 2

noun

ˈskərt 

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

ˈskər-təd 

adjective

skirt

2 of 2

verb

skirted; skirting; skirts

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

: to be, lie, or move along an edge or border

skirter noun

Synonyms

Noun

• border
• borderline
• bound
• boundary
• brim
• circumference
• compass
• confines
• edge
• edging
• end
• frame
• fringe
• hem
• margin
• perimeter
• periphery
• rim
• skirting
• verge

Verb

• bypass
• circumnavigate
• circumvent
• detour

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 Web

Noun

Kate Moss exited wearing a felony of a mini skirt, covering her chest with only her forearms while lapping up a Magnum ice cream. —Liana Satenstein, Vogue, 25 Apr. 2024

From the same spring/summer 1995 RTW show, Robbie wore another of Schiffer's looks while promoting Barbie: a coral and black crop top and black skirt. —Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 24 Apr. 2024

They’re primarily meant to mimic crawfish, and so the best color selections are darker, with a few strands of bright colors in the skirt, like orange. —Shaye Baker, Field & Stream, 24 Apr. 2024

Under her jacket, a light gray turtleneck and peeking through, a mini skirt in the same hue was layered in her outfit. —Essence, 22 Apr. 2024

Yes to anything from a dress to a nice blouse with jeans or a skirt. —Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2024

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

Verb

Her campaign has mostly skirted the violence afflicting Mexico and focused on the social programs that have made the current president hugely popular. —Eyder Peralta, NPR, 22 Apr. 2024

Louis Vuitton jacket, $6,950, and skirt, $3,900, LouisVuitton​.com, Celine by Hedi Slimane bag, $2,300, Celine​.com, Calzedonia tights, $10, Calzedonia​.com, Manolo Blahnik shoes, $825, ManoloBlahnik​.com. —Angelo Pennetta, WSJ, 20 Apr. 2024

The goal is to show offsets can, indeed, be a credible and effective way to slow warming, rather than a Rube Goldberg-like mechanism enabling companies to skirt their climate commitments. —Evan Halper, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024

The talks had deliberately skirted the question of borders and territory. —Samuel Charap, Foreign Affairs, 16 Apr. 2024

Just consider a small wealthy town in San Mateo that’s applied to become a historic district simply to skirt housing laws, particularly those passed by Newsom himself. —Chris Morris, Fortune, 8 Apr. 2024

These men would then skirt the contested zone of blue squares, hook behind the Russian platoon, and trap it against the Ukrainians on the ridge. —Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Taylor, in recent court filings, accuses Latah County Prosecuting Attorney Bill Thompson of trying to skirt due process in his request to have the court ban both sides from contacting potential jurors. —Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024

Without the state’s sign-off on that plan, known as the housing element, developers can skirt local zoning codes and propose projects far taller and denser than might typically be allowed — so long as 20% of the units are rented at affordable rates to qualifying tenants. —Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse skyrta shirt, kirtle — more at shirt

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Verb

1602, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing skirt

• hobble skirt
• skirt steak

Kids Definition

skirt

1 of 2 noun

ˈskərt 

1

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 verb

1

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