skir·mish
ˈskər-mish 
1
: a minor fight in war usually incidental to larger movements
2
a
: a brisk preliminary verbal conflict
b
: a minor dispute or contest between opposing parties
the debate touched off a skirmish
skirmished; skirmishing; skirmishes
skirmisher
noun
Synonyms
Examples of skirmish in a Sentence
Noun
Skirmishes broke out between rebel groups.
Violent skirmishes with the enemy continue despite talks of peace.
Verb
Rebel groups are skirmishing with military forces.
The presidential candidates skirmished over their economic plans.
Recent Examples on the Web
Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
The two sides have been engaging in skirmishes that have been confined to a few kilometers on each side of the border, although Israel last month struck as deep as 100 kilometers into Lebanon.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Hondo’s staging is clear and classical, with mighty formations of soldiers, skirmishes on horseback, terrifying acts of brutality, turbulent crowd scenes, and intimate dramas of debate, whispers of counsel, and hubristic rants.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Hamas accused Israel during the last pause of breaking an agreement to release older prisoners held for a substantial period, instead freeing a number of youths who had been arrested during recent skirmishes in the West Bank.
—Susannah George, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024
The skirmish comes just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washington’s commitment to defending Philippine access to the vast waterway, which China claims sovereignty over, sparking increasing clashes with its neighbors in recent years.
—James Legge, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Since at least 2017, after a similar border skirmish, the possibility that Chinese consumer technology might pose a risk to India’s sovereignty had been circulating in national security circles.
—Suhasini Raj, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Those figures were based on a simulation in which organic fields were spread out, maximizing the pest-control border skirmishes between organic and conventional fields.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Do not react to him, and don’t engage in any social media skirmishes or drama concerning him.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024
Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2023
War in the Middle East As a protest calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip blocked southbound traffic on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles, video footage showed angry motorists skirmishing with demonstrators.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
Protesters also smashed windows at the Indian consulate In San Francisco and skirmished with embassy workers.
—Time, 20 Sep. 2023
Its constituent economies have performed unevenly, and its member states have occasionally locked horns, with India and China violently skirmishing along their rugged, contested border.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023
Investigators were looking for evidence of stock price manipulation between February and March when the two camps were skirmishing.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Apr. 2023
Bohdan Tsymbal, an Azov junior sergeant, staged lighting raids with his artillery unit to skirmish with Russian fighters and gather supplies for the civilians inside the plant.
—New York Times, 20 July 2022
Dealing with caffeine withdrawals while simultaneously trying to skirmish for the last tin of beans is not ideal.
—Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 26 Feb. 2022
Protesters also skirmished with officers, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas in a repeat of Tuesday night's confrontation.
—Doug Glass, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2020
Noun
The last foster child, an older boy named James, stayed for seven years, and Powell grew up thinking of him as her actual big brother, complete with all the skirmishes and antics that come with traditional siblings.
—Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 2 Apr. 2024
The two sides have been engaging in skirmishes that have been confined to a few kilometers on each side of the border, although Israel last month struck as deep as 100 kilometers into Lebanon.
—Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Hondo’s staging is clear and classical, with mighty formations of soldiers, skirmishes on horseback, terrifying acts of brutality, turbulent crowd scenes, and intimate dramas of debate, whispers of counsel, and hubristic rants.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 20 Mar. 2024
Hamas accused Israel during the last pause of breaking an agreement to release older prisoners held for a substantial period, instead freeing a number of youths who had been arrested during recent skirmishes in the West Bank.
—Susannah George, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2024
The skirmish comes just days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated Washington’s commitment to defending Philippine access to the vast waterway, which China claims sovereignty over, sparking increasing clashes with its neighbors in recent years.
—James Legge, CNN, 23 Mar. 2024
Since at least 2017, after a similar border skirmish, the possibility that Chinese consumer technology might pose a risk to India’s sovereignty had been circulating in national security circles.
—Suhasini Raj, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
Those figures were based on a simulation in which organic fields were spread out, maximizing the pest-control border skirmishes between organic and conventional fields.
—Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 21 Mar. 2024
Do not react to him, and don’t engage in any social media skirmishes or drama concerning him.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024
Verb
As recently as the 1960s, China and the Soviet Union were quarreling over the placement of their border and their troops skirmished.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 21 Dec. 2023
War in the Middle East As a protest calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip blocked southbound traffic on the 110 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles, video footage showed angry motorists skirmishing with demonstrators.
—Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
Protesters also smashed windows at the Indian consulate In San Francisco and skirmished with embassy workers.
—Time, 20 Sep. 2023
Its constituent economies have performed unevenly, and its member states have occasionally locked horns, with India and China violently skirmishing along their rugged, contested border.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023
Investigators were looking for evidence of stock price manipulation between February and March when the two camps were skirmishing.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Apr. 2023
Bohdan Tsymbal, an Azov junior sergeant, staged lighting raids with his artillery unit to skirmish with Russian fighters and gather supplies for the civilians inside the plant.
—New York Times, 20 July 2022
Dealing with caffeine withdrawals while simultaneously trying to skirmish for the last tin of beans is not ideal.
—Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 26 Feb. 2022
Protesters also skirmished with officers, who fired rubber bullets and tear gas in a repeat of Tuesday night's confrontation.
—Doug Glass, Anchorage Daily News, 28 May 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skirmish.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near skirmish
Cite this Entry
“Skirmish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skirmish. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
skirmish
1 of 2 noun
skir·mish
ˈskər-mish
1
: a minor fight between small bodies of troops
2
: a minor dispute or contest
skirmish
2 of 2 verb1
: to engage in a skirmish
2
: to search about (as for supplies)
skirmisher
noun
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