plural skirts
1
a
: a piece of clothing worn by women and girls that hangs from the waist down
She was wearing a short/long skirt.
b
: the part of a dress, coat, etc., that hangs from the waist down
The skirt of her coat got caught in the car door.
—sometimes pluralHe gathered up the skirts of his robe as he climbed the stairs.
a dress with full skirts
2
: an outer covering that hangs down to protect something
They put a protective skirt around the base of the machine.
skirts; skirted; skirting
1
: to avoid (something) especially because it is difficult or will cause problems
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.
2
: to lie or go along the edge of (something)
Pine trees skirt the northern edge of the pond.
The road skirts around the lake.
We skirted around the edge of the city.
Cite this Entry
“Skirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/skirt. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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