Dictionary

skirmish en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈskɜːmɪʃ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈskɝmɪʃ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English skirmish (as a verb), from Old French escarmouche (“skirmish”), from Italian scaramuccia, earlier schermugio. Doublet of escarmouche, Scaramouche, and Scaramucci.

Meanings

1. A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war.
   • The walls are slitted with embrasures through which bowmen could fire, indicating that the belfry also served as a stronghold during border skirmishes. 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 311, about the church at Pembridge:
   • On 2 March, Chinese border guards with the help of regular PLA forces skillfully ambushed Strelnikov's unit on the ice near Chen Pao, killing him and 30 Soviets in the subsequent skirmish. 1970 April 28, “Chen Pao Battle and Subsequent Threat Campaign”, in The Evolution of Soviet Policy in the Sino-Soviet Border Dispute, Directorate of Intelligence, published 2007, →OCLC, page 34:
2. (broadly, figuratively) Any minor dispute.
   • Fires which have heretofore been one‐alarm skirmishes are now multialarm small wars. 1977 February 14, Joseph E. Galvin, “Under Fire”, in The New York Times:
   • Three people were arrested after a skirmish in a bar.
3. A type of outdoor military style game using paintball or similar weapons.

Forms

Deriveds

squirmish

Relateds

screen

Synonyms

scrap

Translations (102)

ro escarmușă (brief battle between small groups) · mk пре́сметка (minor dispute) · fi sanasota (minor dispute) · fi kahnaus (brief battle between small groups) · fi kiista (minor dispute) · fi yhteenotto (brief battle between small groups) · gl escaramuza (brief battle between small groups) · pl utarczka (minor dispute) · uk спо́тичка (brief battle between small groups) · cmn 小衝突 /小冲突 (brief battle between small groups) · hi टकराव (minor dispute) · fi kina (minor dispute) · hi झड़प (minor dispute) · bg караница (minor dispute) · be бо́йка (brief battle between small groups) · mk пре́сметка (brief battle between small groups) · es refriega (brief battle between small groups) · cs půtka (brief battle between small groups) · ja 小競り合い (brief battle between small groups) · uk спо́тичка (minor dispute) · yue 口角 (minor dispute) · ru перепа́лка (minor dispute) · es escaramuza (brief battle between small groups) · mk су́дир (minor dispute) · tl sagupaan (brief battle between small groups) · fi välikohtaus (minor dispute) · mk пре́стрелка (brief battle between small groups) · it scaramuccia (brief battle between small groups) · de Geplänkel (brief battle between small groups) · hi झड़प (brief battle between small groups) · es berrinche (minor dispute) · mi taute (brief battle between small groups) · fr escarmouche (brief battle between small groups) · ca escaramussa (minor dispute) · yue 小衝突 /小冲突 (brief battle between small groups) · sv skärmytsling (brief battle between small groups) · el αψιμαχία (brief battle between small groups) · tr çatışma (brief battle between small groups) · nl schermutseling (brief battle between small groups) · ar مُنَاوَشَة (brief battle between small groups) · fi rytäkkä (brief battle between small groups) · fr échauffourée (brief battle between small groups) · it schermaglia (brief battle between small groups) · ru перепа́лка (brief battle between small groups) · fi suukopu (minor dispute) · az toqquşma (brief battle between small groups) · cmn 衝突 /冲突 (brief battle between small groups) · fro escharmuche (brief battle between small groups) · be перастрэ́лка (brief battle between small groups) · ca escaramussa (brief battle between small groups) · be суты́чка (brief battle between small groups) · be схва́тка (brief battle between small groups) · da skærmydsel (minor dispute) · fi yhteenotto (minor dispute) · fi kinastelu (minor dispute) · yue 小爭論 /小争论 (minor dispute) · es enfrentamiento (brief battle between small groups) · pl potyczka (brief battle between small groups) · pl potyczka (minor dispute) · cy sgarmes (brief battle between small groups) · sh ча̑рка (brief battle between small groups) · et jagelus (brief battle between small groups) · de Scharmützel (brief battle between small groups) · pt briguinha (minor dispute) · nl schermutseling (minor dispute) · fi jupakka (minor dispute) · uk бі́йка (brief battle between small groups) · sw mapigano madogo (brief battle between small groups) · fr escarmouche (minor dispute) · gl escaramuza (minor dispute) · de Wortgeplänkel (minor dispute) · ur جھڑپ (brief battle between small groups) · frm escarmouche (brief battle between small groups) · mi riringa (brief battle between small groups) · fi kahakka (brief battle between small groups) · fi kahina (brief battle between small groups) · da skærmydsel (brief battle between small groups) · cs šarvátka (brief battle between small groups) · ru сты́чка (brief battle between small groups) · de Auseinandersetzung (minor dispute) · mi kekeritanga (brief battle between small groups) · tr çarpışma (brief battle between small groups) · be суты́чка (minor dispute) · ga scirmis (brief battle between small groups) · bg схва́тка (brief battle between small groups) · ru схва́тка (brief battle between small groups) · ru перестре́лка (brief battle between small groups) · ja 小競り合い (minor dispute) · sh čȃrka (brief battle between small groups) · uk су́тичка (minor dispute) · fi välikohtaus (brief battle between small groups) · eo bataleto (brief battle between small groups) · uk су́тичка (brief battle between small groups) · ru сты́чка (minor dispute) · uk перестрі́лка (brief battle between small groups) · la praecursiō (brief battle between small groups) · es escaramuza (minor dispute) · fi riita (minor dispute) · az toqquşma (minor dispute) · pt escaramuça (brief battle between small groups) · fi nahistelu (minor dispute) · cs šarvátka (minor dispute)

skirmish en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈskɜːmɪʃ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈskɝmɪʃ/ (General-American)
• (Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English skirmish (as a verb), from Old French escarmouche (“skirmish”), from Italian scaramuccia, earlier schermugio. Doublet of escarmouche, Scaramouche, and Scaramucci.

Meanings

1. (intransitive) To engage in a minor battle or dispute.
   • Other historians might also remark that […] they have persisted all this time, constantly wrestling and skirmishing and yet never destroying themselves. 2019, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Children of Ruin, Macmillan, page 376:
   • The deer and the pig and the nilghai were milling round and round in a circle of eight or ten miles radius, while the Eaters of Flesh skirmished round its edge. 1895 November, Rudyard Kipling, The Second Jungle Book, London; New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., →OCLC:

Forms

Deriveds

skirmisher · skirmishingly

Translations (17)

fr escarmoucher (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · cy sgarmesu (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · el αψιμαχώ (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · gl escaramuzar (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · fi kahakoida (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · ca escaramussar (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · fi nahistella (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · mk се пре́смета (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · pt escaramuçar (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · sh čarkati (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · es escaramuzar (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · mk се пресме́тува (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · ga scirmisigh (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · az toqquşmaq (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · ja 小競り合いをする (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · nl schermutselen (to engage in a minor battle or dispute) · la vēlitor (to engage in a minor battle or dispute)