skew

1 of 3

verb

skewed; skewing; skews

intransitive verb

1
: to take an oblique course
2
: to look askance

transitive verb

1
: to make, set, or cut on the skew
2
: to distort especially from a true value or symmetrical form

skew

2 of 3

adjective

1
: set, placed, or running obliquely : slanting
2
: more developed on one side or in one direction than another : not symmetrical

skew

3 of 3

noun

: a deviation from a straight line : slant

Examples of skew in a Sentence

Verb They were accused of skewing the facts to fit their theory. He accused them of skewing the rules in their favor.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Even worse from Meta’s standpoint, TikTok’s user base has been skewing younger than Instagram’s, its most direct competitor, and much younger than Facebook, which has been trending toward older users. Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024 The pattern on Prince Louis' sweater sleeve is skewed. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Opponents, on the other hand, said the measure would take away residents’ right to vote and criticized the process, which included a community survey that was likely hit by bots, skewing the results. Grace Hase, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2024 In a low-turnout primary that seemed to skew older and more conservative, that may also allow a Republican to make it into the November election to compete with a Democrat. Lindsey Holden, Sacramento Bee, 6 Mar. 2024 If this didn't happen, the extra hours would add up over time and seasons would start to skew. Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024 The South Carolina Republican Party scolded them in a statement this week for trying to skew the results. USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 In comparison, the average person watching YouTube is 25 to 35, a metric that can skew even lower when kids too young for their own accounts are included. Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 12 Feb. 2024 So more voters who may skew younger voting uncommitted. Erika Ryan, NPR, 29 Feb. 2024
Adjective
Not surprisingly, the results skew with age: More than two thirds who are younger than 25 receive help, while 30% among those ages 30 to 34 are still financially dependent on their parents. Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 26 Feb. 2024 Is the skew tetromino the most difficult tetromino for robotic manipulation? IEEE Spectrum, 12 Feb. 2024 The aesthetics of most of these mushroom chocolates skew funkadelic and cartoonish, combinations of trippy ‘90s computer art and manic candy branding. Meghan McCarron, Bon Appétit, 24 Jan. 2024 Even if this skew is roughly matched by male swings rightward, the degeneration of our democracy and our discourse into a battle of the sexes can’t be a positive development. Daniel Foster, National Review, 30 Nov. 2023 Certain holidays, however, like Valentine’s Day, skew heavily male. Ruth Umoh, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2023 In one group, for instance, based on 810 surveys, the average age of users was 51 years, with a huge skew male (684 participants) and straight (738), and with 52% either engaged, married, or in domestic partnerships. Christian B. Miller, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023 That skew toward older viewers is felt in the 1960s visual references, which allude especially to the Brutalist concrete structures that Ken Adams designed for Bond films like Dr. No (1962) and Goldfinger (1964). Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Oct. 2023 But most were probably newbies, particularly since the demo skew of the Paramount Network audience for 1883 (the vast majority were over the age 50) is about ten to 25 years older than the typical Paramount+ viewer, says a person familiar with the numbers. Vulture, 6 Sep. 2023
Noun
Back then, bitcoin's 180-day skew and the 365-day skew peaked above 3.15% and 1%, respectively. Omkar Godbole, Forbes, 3 June 2022 And what about you second point, the negative skew? Gary Stix, Scientific American, 18 Mar. 2023 Was that more of a YA skew? Lesley Goldberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Feb. 2023 In 2016, 2018, and 2020, polls consistently underestimated Republican support; PredictIt outperformed them in a number of big elections in large part by correcting for that skew. Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 14 Nov. 2022 For the three months ended July 2, Disney+ domestic ARPU (U.S. and Canada) was $6.27 per month, a 5% decline from the year earlier, likely the result of a skew toward the Disney Bundle and inclusion of Disney+ (and ESPN+) in the Hulu + Live TV package. Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022 Cases like Susan Collins, who held on in Maine, a Democratic state, are exceptions; the underlying right-wing skew of the Senate is the main reason the GOP will probably retain control despite a substantial Democratic victory in the presidential popular vote. Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2020 The price relationship, known as put-to-call skew, is hovering at the highest level since August 2022, when a two-month rally in the 503-member index abruptly reversed. Jessica Menton, Fortune, 12 Feb. 2023 The sub-10 price/earnings ratio on the FTSE was a result of the skew of the market toward energy and mining companies, which have low valuations everywhere, not just in the U.K. James MacKintosh, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skew.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, to escape, run obliquely, from Anglo-French *eskiuer, eschiver to escape, avoid — more at eschew

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Adjective

1609, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of skew was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near skew

Cite this Entry

“Skew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skew. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

skew

verb
ˈskyü
1
: to take a slanting course : move or turn aside : swerve
2
: to distort from a true value or symmetrical form
skewed the facts to fit their theory

More from Merriam-Webster on skew

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