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

Alas, the Launchpad’s crew did not respond to the request, and a nearby cruise ship came to the rescue instead, towing the skiff back to port. — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026

The ship that came to the skiff's assistance was a cruise ship called the Wilderness Legacy, which towed it to Farragut Bay, according to the Alaska Beacon. — Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026

The yacht came under scrutiny after an expedition cruise ship responded to a request for assistance from a 21-foot skiff stranded in Southeast Alaska. — Luisa Yanez august 10, Miami Herald, 10 Aug. 2026

The cruise ship then towed the skiff back to Farragut Bay, according to the statement (Forbes has reached out to the Coast Guard and the cruise operator for further comment on the incident). — Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 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