skip

1 of 2

verb (1)

ˈskip 

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

c

: misfire sense 1

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

ˈski-pə-bəl 

adjective

see also:

skip bail skip rope

skip

2 of 2

verb (2)

skipped; skipping

transitive verb

: to act as skipper of

Synonyms of skip

Verb (1)

• hop
• bounce

Examples of skip in a Sentence

Verb (1)

children skipping along the woodland path

the day was so nice that we decided to skip class and go to the beach

the soap slipped out of my hand and went skipping across the bathroom floor

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Inexplicably, six Republicans in the Assembly and one in the Senate agreed to vote for AB 1768, thereby allowing many Democrats to skip the politically risky vote to enable yet another tax hike on working people. —Susan Shelley, Daily News, 10 June 2026

Wood singled and pinch-hitter Andrés Chapparo walked to load the bases before Miller threw a pitch that skipped past catcher Daniel Susac. —ABC News, 10 June 2026

That nuance is the story most viral posts skip. —Allison Palmer, Charlotte Observer, 10 June 2026

Then there was the question of why Steyer, who’d run for president in 2020 but never held public office before, skipped conventional political stepping stones. —Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

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

First Known Use

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Verb (2)

1900, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing skip

• a hop, skip, and (a) jump
• hop, skip, and jump
• made her heart skip a beat
• skip bail
• skip bomb
• skip it
• skip off
• skip out
• skip rope

Rhymes for skip

• blip
• chip
• clip
• dip
• drip
• flip
• grip
• grippe
• hip
• ip
• kip
• lip

Kids Definition

skip

1 of 2 verb

ˈskip 

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