skirt

1 of 2

noun

plural skirts
1
a(1)
: a free-hanging outer garment or undergarment covering some or all of the body from the waist down and traditionally worn by women and girls
Whether plaid or neutral, midi or mini, the pleated skirt has a certain staying power, a badge of being forever in.Megan O'Sullivan
(2)
: a free-hanging part of an outer garment or undergarment extending from the waist down
… Ahab, without speaking, was slowly rubbing the gold piece against the skirts of his jacket, as if to heighten its lustre …Herman Melville
b
: a cloth facing that hangs from the bottom edge or across the front of a piece of furniture
I love to take a little kitchenette or bathroom and under sinks, instead of a big bulky cabinet; I love the idea of running a very simple … skirt underneath.Chad James, quoted at housebeautiful.com
c
: either of two usually leather flaps on a saddle covering the bars on which the stirrups are hung
The more skirt material, the more weight added to the saddle, which explains why barrel-racing saddle skirts are round and barely extend beyond the saddle tree.Cynthia McFarland
d
: the lower branches of a tree when near the ground
Raising tree skirts is a relatively simple process that can be done with the use of secateurs, loppers or small handsaws.West Coast Tree Experts
2
a
: the rim, periphery, or environs of an area
b
skirts plural : outlying parts (as of a town or city) : outskirts
… unfenced pastures on the skirts of the village.Joseph Mitchell
3
: a part or attachment serving as a rim, border, or edging
4
slang, often offensive : a girl or woman
especially : a female object of sexual desire
In the 1950s smoking, drinking, gambling, cursing, and skirt chasing were all classified as vices, things to be condemned and avoided. Bill Nunes
skirted adjective

skirt

2 of 2

verb

skirted; skirting; skirts

transitive verb

1
: to form or run along the border or edge of : border
2
a
: to provide a skirt for
b
: to furnish a border or shield for
3
a
: to go or pass around or about
specifically : to go around or keep away from in order to avoid danger or discovery
b
: to avoid especially because of difficulty or fear of controversy
skirted the issue
c
: to evade or miss by a narrow margin
having skirted disasterEdith Wharton

intransitive verb

: to be, lie, or move along an edge or border
skirter noun

Examples of skirt in a Sentence

Noun She was wearing a short skirt. The skirt of her coat got caught in the car door. They put a protective skirt around the base of the machine. Verb The mayor skirted the issue by saying that a committee was looking into the problem. They tried to skirt the new regulations. He tried to skirt around the question. Pine trees skirt the northern edge of the pond. The road skirts around the lake. We skirted around the edge of the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Wang greets me in a white sweater and a cream checkerboard skirt on the restaurant’s ground floor, lively with customers yet intimate with the amber glow of tasseled lamps. Ingu Chen, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024 Dress them up with trousers and skirts, or pair them with wide-leg jeans for casual outings. Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024
Verb
There’s no skirting around politics and with the majority of American voters pandering to a presidential candidate pushing for more conservative values this election, the body has become weaponized for power and control. Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 29 Nov. 2024 Many consumers try to skirt high interest rates with deferred interest promotions. Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for skirt 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse skyrta shirt, kirtle — more at shirt

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

1602, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near skirt

Cite this Entry

“Skirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skirt. Accessed 8 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

skirt

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a free-hanging part of a garment extending from the waist down
b
: a separate free-hanging garment usually worn by women and girls covering the body from the waist down
c
: either of two flaps on a saddle covering the bars on which the stirrups are hung
2
plural : outskirts
3
: a part or attachment serving as a rim, border, or edging

skirt

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to go or pass around or about
especially : to go around or keep away from in order to avoid danger or discovery
b
: to escape or miss by a narrow margin
2
: to be, lie, or move along an edge, border, or margin

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