skip

1 of 4

verb (1)

skipped; skipping

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move or proceed with leaps and bounds or with a skip
b
: to bound off one point after another : ricochet
2
: to leave hurriedly or secretly
skipped out without paying their bill
3
a
: to pass over or omit an interval, item, or step
b
: to omit a grade in school in advancing to the next

transitive verb

1
a
: to pass over without notice or mention : omit
skipped her name
b
: to pass by or leave out (a step in a progression or series)
2
a
: to cause to skip (a grade in school)
b
: to cause to bound or skim over a surface
skip a stone across a pond
3
: to leap over lightly and nimbly
4
a
: to depart from quickly and secretly
skipped town
b
: to fail to attend or participate in
skip the tournament
skippable adjective

skip

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
: a light bounding step
b
: a gait composed of alternating hops and steps
2
: an act of omission or the thing omitted

skip

3 of 4

noun (2)

1
: the captain of a side in a game (such as curling or lawn bowling) who advises the team as to the play and controls the action
2

skip

4 of 4

verb (2)

skipped; skipping

transitive verb

: to act as skipper of
Phrases
skip bail
: to jump bail
skip rope
: to use a jump rope (as for exercise or a game)

Examples of skip in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The whole album is very strong, with no skips… including the deluxe edition with additional tracks adding up to 16, all told. Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023 From picking up strangers on the subway to picking them off with a silenced rifle, through a hotel window, is just a hop and a skip. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2023 Kid is a candidate for the rite of passage, confronts vapid Jewish education, overemphasis on the celebration, clueless parents, etc.; skips town, goes to Israel on a Jewish spiritual quest, has adventures, encounters various teachers and role models, comes back with a new sense of Jewish identity. The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Sep. 2023 As an art-house in-joke, the title of Williams’ new sort-of-documentary, sort-of-funhouse-mirror-maze skips straight to threequel status. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 22 Sep. 2023 Go back to both feet for 9 skips, then right and left for 9 each. Men's Health, 2 May 2023 Enter the peninsula’s photogenic beaches, all just a hop and a skip from town. Lauren Breedlove, Travel + Leisure, 30 Sep. 2023 Markets are pricing a skip next week and 40% odds of a hike in November. WSJ, 13 Sep. 2023 Earlier this month, the record-keeping organization revealed that Kit Kat — a 13-year-old tabby — set the world record for most skips by a cat in one minute. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 26 Aug. 2023
Verb
That doesn’t mean white-glove service in a five-star hotel isn’t your reward—but to create an extraordinary journey, Gordon recommends skipping the Marriott and booking hotels that offer something authentic. Christopher Cameron, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2023 Travelers looking to get closer to nature in St. John can skip the luxe villa for an experience only steps from the waves and under the stars. Carley Rojas Avila, Travel + Leisure, 27 Nov. 2023 When budget or storage space is an issue, some families may prefer to skip the balance bike altogether in favor of other learn-to-ride options like training wheels, or even simply removing pedals from a regular bike. Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 25 Nov. 2023 Hurtado Andrade doesn’t recommend skipping a dose, while Hatipoglu said there should be no issues if someone wanted to forgo a week. Julia Landwehr, Health, 23 Nov. 2023 So why has Japan skipped the skyscraper arms race seen in countries like China, Malaysia and the UAE? Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2023 Since the pandemic, the number of kids regularly skipping school has skyrocketed, from 8.2 million in 2019 to 14.7 million in the 2021-2022 school year, according to U.S. Dept. of Education data. Byron Pitts, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023 Since running backs Christian McCaffrey and Leonard Fournette started the trend of high NFL draft picks skipping postseason games in 2016, only two first-round quarterbacks have opted out of their bowl games, both in the last two seasons. Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023 Trump is expected to skip the event, the second time he's been absent from an event hosted by Vander Plaats. Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skip.' 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 (1)

Middle English skippen, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect skopa to hop

Noun (2)

short for skipper entry 2

First Known Use

Verb (1)

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

Noun (1)

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

Noun (2)

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of skip was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near skip

Cite this Entry

“Skip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skip. Accessed 6 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

skip

1 of 2 verb
skipped; skipping
1
a
: to move or proceed with leaps and bounds
b
: to bounce or cause to bounce off one point after another
skipping stones
c
: to leap over lightly
2
: to leave hurriedly or secretly
skip town
3
a
: to pass over or leave out (as a section, item, or step)
skipped the dull parts of the book
b
: to promote or cause to be promoted to a grade higher than the next grade in school
c
: to fail to attend
skipped the meeting

skip

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a light bouncing step
b
: a manner of moving by alternating hops and steps
2
: a failure to do something
also : something not done

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