skirmish
English · Thesaurus
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skirmish
- /ˈskɜːmɪʃ/ UK
- /ˈskɝmɪʃ/ US
Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)mɪʃ
Where it comes from
From Middle English skirmish (as a verb), from Old French escarmouche (“skirmish”), from Italian scaramuccia, earlier schermugio. Doublet of escarmouche, Scaramouche, and Scaramucci.
noun skirmishes · scirmish
- A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war. 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.
-
Any minor dispute.
Three people were arrested after a skirmish in a bar.
Similar: scrap
- A type of outdoor military style game using paintball or similar weapons.
verb skirmishes · skirmishing · skirmished · scirmish
- To engage in a minor battle or dispute. 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.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: encounter, clash, brush, velitation, run-in, fight, tussle, bickering, wrangling, mix-up, scrimmage, minibattle, scrim, scrimmaging, single combat, quick match
Translations
Every language
noun brief battle between small groups
| Español | escaramuza, enfrentamiento, refriega |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 小競り合い kozeriai |
| 中文 | 小衝突 /小冲突 xiǎo chōngtū, 衝突 /冲突 chōngtū, chōngtú |
| हिन्दी | झड़प jhaṛap |
| Kiswahili | mapigano madogo |
| Português | escaramuça |
| Français | escarmouche, échauffourée |
| Deutsch | Scharmützel, Geplänkel |
| Italiano | schermaglia, scaramuccia |
| Ελληνικά | αψιμαχία apsimachía |
| Română | escarmușă |
| Русский | сты́чка stýčka, схва́тка sxvátka, перестре́лка perestrélka, перепа́лка perepálka |
| العربية | مُنَاوَشَة munāwaša |
noun minor dispute
| Español | escaramuza, berrinche |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 小競り合い kozeriai |
| हिन्दी | झड़प jhaṛap, टकराव ṭakrāv |
| Português | briguinha |
| Français | escarmouche |
| Deutsch | Wortgeplänkel, Auseinandersetzung |
| Русский | сты́чка stýčka, перепа́лка perepálka |
verb to engage in a minor battle or dispute
| Español | escaramuzar |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 小競り合いをする kozeriai wo suru |
| Português | escaramuçar |
| Français | escarmoucher |
| Ελληνικά | αψιμαχώ apsimachó |
Talk about this word "skirmish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/skirmish. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. skirmish. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/skirmish "skirmish." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/skirmish.Cite this
@misc{skirmish_2026,
title = {skirmish},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/skirmish},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
