skiff

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈskif 

: any of various small boats

especially : a flat-bottomed rowboat

skift

2 of 4

verb

ˈskift

-ed/-ing/-s

dialectal, British

: shift

skift

3 of 4

noun (2)

"

variants or skiff

ˈskif 

plural -s

dialectal

: something that is light: such as

a

: a light fall of snow or rain

b

: wisp

skift

4 of 4

ˈskift

dialectal variant of skiff:1

Examples of skiff in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Fishing trips from King Salmon can take many forms, from drifting the broad Naknek River in a metal skiff boat to hopping aboard a floatplane for waters that see few other anglers all season. — Bailey Berg, Travel + Leisure, 1 Aug. 2026

Noe followed the sound of voices, moved the skiff toward a flickering in the church tower. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Head to Bahia Marina on 22nd Street to rent a variety of water craft including kayaks, skiffs and pontoon boats. — Katie Riley, Southern Living, 15 July 2026

Flores and Álvarez, on one of the skiffs, were floating approximately fifteen nautical miles east of the Fiorella. — Will Freeman, New Yorker, 30 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English skif, from Middle French or Old Italian; Middle French esquif, from Old Italian schifo, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English scip ship

Verb

Middle English skiften to shift, divide, from Old Norse skipta to divide, change, be of importance

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for skiff

• biff
• cliff
• diff
• glyph
• griff
• if
• riff
• schiff
• sniff
• stiff
• tiff
• whiff

Kids Definition

skiff

noun

ˈskif 

: any of various small boats

especially : a flat-bottomed rowboat