skip

1 of 4

verb (1)

skipped; skipping

intransitive verb

1
a
: to move or proceed with leaps and bounds or with a skip
b
: to bound off one point after another : ricochet
2
: to leave hurriedly or secretly
skipped out without paying their bill
3
a
: to pass over or omit an interval, item, or step
b
: to omit a grade in school in advancing to the next

transitive verb

1
a
: to pass over without notice or mention : omit
skipped her name
b
: to pass by or leave out (a step in a progression or series)
2
a
: to cause to skip (a grade in school)
b
: to cause to bound or skim over a surface
skip a stone across a pond
3
: to leap over lightly and nimbly
4
a
: to depart from quickly and secretly
skipped town
b
: to fail to attend or participate in
skip the tournament
skippable adjective

skip

2 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
: a light bounding step
b
: a gait composed of alternating hops and steps
2
: an act of omission or the thing omitted

skip

3 of 4

noun (2)

1
: the captain of a side in a game (such as curling or lawn bowling) who advises the team as to the play and controls the action
2

skip

4 of 4

verb (2)

skipped; skipping

transitive verb

: to act as skipper of
Phrases
skip bail
: to jump bail
skip rope
: to use a jump rope (as for exercise or a game)

Examples of skip in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Not magic, just a skip and a hop (and a track) from my friends’ places in all directions. Kanyakrit Vongkiatkajorn, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024 Pratt, averaging now 18.9 points over his last nine contests, hit a dagger three from the corner off a nifty skip pass from BJ Freeman with 1:56 to play that put Milwaukee up by six. Journal Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2024 Rounding out at right under an hour, Gravy takes you through a world of emotions, with no skips. Shelby Stewart, Essence, 24 Jan. 2024 Unlimited offers on-demand and ad-free music, top podcasts, unlimited skips, offline listening, and HD and spatial audio. Monica Bell, Peoplemag, 20 Dec. 2023 The whole album is very strong, with no skips… including the deluxe edition with additional tracks adding up to 16, all told. Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Nov. 2023 From picking up strangers on the subway to picking them off with a silenced rifle, through a hotel window, is just a hop and a skip. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2023 Kid is a candidate for the rite of passage, confronts vapid Jewish education, overemphasis on the celebration, clueless parents, etc.; skips town, goes to Israel on a Jewish spiritual quest, has adventures, encounters various teachers and role models, comes back with a new sense of Jewish identity. The Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Sep. 2023 As an art-house in-joke, the title of Williams’ new sort-of-documentary, sort-of-funhouse-mirror-maze skips straight to threequel status. J. Kim Murphy, Variety, 22 Sep. 2023
Verb
More and more skiers are skipping resorts and heading for the backcountry. Josh Laskin, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024 There are several other requirements as well, like not being a prior winner of the competition and not skipping other schoolwork to prepare for the spelling bee. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 19 Mar. 2024 According to the report, virtually all households in Gaza are skipping meals every day and adults are reducing their meals so that children can eat. Miriam Berger, Washington Post, 18 Mar. 2024 Wedding costs keep rising Toni Burrowes, a 30-year-old teacher in Central Florida, decided to skip having a big wedding last month. Samantha Delouya, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 Dozens skipped work to come back to the Statehouse a second time the following week, when the committee voted. Kayla Dwyer, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Mar. 2024 Student advocates fear many of them will simply give up, skipping college or relying on expensive loans to pay for it. Zach Montague, New York Times, 14 Mar. 2024 Elevate the classic tuna sandwich by skipping the mayo and dressing it with a light, lemony olive oil vinaigrette, herbs like dill and parsley, and finely diced red onions for brightness. Audrey Bruno, SELF, 13 Mar. 2024 The panelists kicked things off by skipping down the yellow brick road in costume — with Robin Thicke as Oz, Ken Jeong as The Cowardly Lion, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg as Glinda the Good Witch, and Rita Ora as Dorothy. Lauren Huff, EW.com, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skip.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English skippen, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Swedish dialect skopa to hop

Noun (2)

short for skipper entry 2

First Known Use

Verb (1)

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

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

1900, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near skip

Cite this Entry

“Skip.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skip. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

skip

1 of 2 verb
skipped; skipping
1
a
: to move or proceed with leaps and bounds
b
: to bounce or cause to bounce off one point after another
skipping stones
c
: to leap over lightly
2
: to leave hurriedly or secretly
skip town
3
a
: to pass over or leave out (as a section, item, or step)
skipped the dull parts of the book
b
: to promote or cause to be promoted to a grade higher than the next grade in school
c
: to fail to attend
skipped the meeting

skip

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a light bouncing step
b
: a manner of moving by alternating hops and steps
2
: a failure to do something
also : something not done

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