Definition of skirmish
1 : a minor fight in war usually incidental to larger movements
2a : a brisk preliminary verbal conflictb : a minor dispute or contest between opposing parties the debate touched off a skirmish
From the M-W Editors
Examples of skirmish in a Sentence
Skirmishes broke out between rebel groups.
Violent skirmishes with the enemy continue despite talks of peace.
Recent Examples of skirmish from the Web
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And the Greyjoys lost that particular skirmish in the end.
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And the Greyjoys lost that particular skirmish in the end.
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Amid any number of skirmishes—neighbor against neighbor, tourist against townie, lobbyist against legislator—
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Skirmishes at sea were fought between French warships and American sailors, according to Spencer Tucker in the Almanac of American Military History, and the States re-mobilized the Navy.
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This is the first skirmish of many entitlement battles to come.
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But a violent skirmish that broke out between her and another teenage girl on June 26 at a Speedway gas station in the Portland neighborhood would leave Branch dead in an emergency room just hours later.
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The battle for Hue was hard, bloody, and costly, not the minor skirmish Westmoreland was selling.
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But there are plenty of other examples, beginning with South Carolina’s decision to quit flying the Confederate battle flag at the state capitol and running through more recent skirmishes from St. Louis to Charlottesville, Virginia.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skirmish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of skirmish
Middle English skyrmissh, alteration (influenced by Anglo-French eskermir to fence (with swords), protect, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German scirmen to protect, scirm shield) of skarmuch, from Anglo-French escarmuche, from Old Italian scaramuccia — more at screen
skirmish
Definition of skirmish
intransitive verb
1 : to engage in a skirmish
2 : to search about (as for supplies) : scout around
skirmisher
nounExamples of skirmish in a Sentence
Rebel groups are skirmishing with military forces.
The presidential candidates skirmished over their economic plans.
First Known Use of skirmish
14th century
SKIRMISH Defined for English Language Learners
skirmish
playDefinition of skirmish for English Language Learners
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: a brief and usually unplanned fight during a war
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: a minor or brief argument or disagreement
skirmish
Definition of skirmish for English Language Learners
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: to be involved in a skirmish
SKIRMISH Defined for Kids
Definition of skirmish for Students
1 : a minor fight in war
2 : a minor argument
Definition of skirmish for Students
skirmished
;skirmishing
: to take part in a fight or dispute
Learn More about skirmish
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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for skirmish Spanish Central: Translation of skirmish Nglish: Translation of skirmish for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about skirmish
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