skeleton

noun skel·e·ton \ ˈske-lə-tən \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of skeleton

1 : a usually rigid supportive or protective structure or framework of an organism; especially : the bony or more or less cartilaginous framework supporting the soft tissues and protecting the internal organs of a vertebrate

2 : something reduced to its minimum form or essential parts

3 : an emaciated person or animal

4 a : something forming a structural framework

b : the straight or branched chain or ring of atoms that forms the basic structure of an organic molecule

5 : something shameful and kept secret (as in a family) —often used in the phrase skeleton in the closet

6 : a small sled that is ridden in a prone position and used especially in competition; also : the competition itself

—

skeletonic

play \ˌske-lə-ˈtä-nik\ adjective

See skeleton defined for English-language learners

See skeleton defined for kids

Examples of skeleton in a Sentence

They found the fossil skeleton of a mastodon.
He hung a plastic skeleton on the door for Halloween.
She was a skeleton after her illness.
Only the charred skeleton of the house remained after the fire.
We saw a skeleton of the report before it was published.

Recent Examples of skeleton from the Web

In a tribute to Méliès’ sometimes diabolical worlds filled with skeletons and ghosts, the Doodle also features an evil green man who attempts to kidnap our hero’s beloved queen.

— thuy ong, The Verge, "Google’s first VR Doodle celebrates French illusionist and director Georges Méliès," 3 May 2018
Human and horse skulls, a monkey skeleton and other specimens add variety.

— susan dunne, courant.com, "Yale's Cushing Library Is A Brainiac's Dream Come True," 2 May 2018
Look for its signature Black IPA made from European grains, an unusual theme featuring skeletons and regular visits from food trucks.

— kellie hwang, azcentral, "Bone Haus Brewing is Fountain Hills' first brewery," 28 Apr. 2018
As George Dvorsky reports for Gizmodo, archaeologists recently re-examined the skeleton and uncovered evidence to suggest that the medieval man relied on an unusual prosthesis in the wake of the amputation: an iron knife.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "This Medieval Man Used a Knife as a Prosthetic Limb," 20 Apr. 2018
Among the museum’s most valuable holdings were skeletons and skins of extinct birds, including the Dodo, the Great Auk, and the Passenger Pigeon, along with an elephant-folio edition of John James Audubon’s The Birds of America.

— Outside Online, "The Curious Case of the Fly-Fishing Feather Thief," 19 Apr. 2018
Trash Island is a harsh place where maggots pepper the scraps of food and skeletons inhabit the cages of dogs whose latches couldn't be unlocked to free them.

— julie hinds, Detroit Free Press, "Dogs vs. cats (and love vs. corruption, greed): Wes Anderson talks about 'Isle of Dogs'," 5 Apr. 2018
Mobile’s science museum gives the creatures a new life with an exhibit of fossilized skeletons and life-size robotic models of the period’s giant insects, sharks, and mammal-like reptiles.

— sarah maiellano, USA TODAY, "Best museum exhibits in the U.S. this spring," 3 Apr. 2018
Ando has perfected his smooth-as-silk concrete, which is often used as both structure and surface—the skeleton and the decoration.

— brad dunning, GQ, "These Are the 8 Architectural Wonders Of the Fashion World," 28 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skeleton.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Illustration of skeleton

Origin and Etymology of skeleton

New Latin, from Greek, neuter of skeletos dried up; akin to Greek skellein to dry up, sklēros hard and perhaps to Old English sceald shallow

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1578

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

skeleton Synonyms

Synonyms

architecture, configuration, edifice, fabric, frame, framework, framing, infrastructure, shell, structure;

Related Words

cage, lattice, network;

contour, figure, outline, profile, shape, silhouette;

chassis;

skeleton

adjective

Definition of skeleton

: of, consisting of, or resembling a skeleton

See skeleton defined for English-language learners

First Known Use of skeleton

1778

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

SKELETON Defined for English Language Learners

skeleton

noun

Definition of skeleton for English Language Learners

: the structure of bones that supports the body of a person or animal
: a set or model of all the bones in the body of a person
: a very thin person or animal

skeleton

adjective

Definition of skeleton for English Language Learners

: having the smallest possible number of people who can get a job done

SKELETON Defined for Kids

skeleton

noun skel·e·ton \ ˈske-lə-tən \

Definition of skeleton for Students

1 : a firm structure or framework of a living thing that in vertebrates (as fish, birds, or humans) is typically made of bone and supports the soft tissues of the body and protects the internal organs

2 : framework