Meaning of "skirmish" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SKIRMISH

From Old French eskirmir, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German skirmen to defend.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF SKIRMISH

skirmish  [ˈskɜːmɪʃ]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SKIRMISH

Skirmish is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb skirmish in English.

WHAT DOES SKIRMISH MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Skirmisher

Skirmishers are infantry or cavalry soldiers stationed ahead or alongside a larger body of friendly troops. They are usually placed in a skirmish line to harass the enemy.

Definition of skirmish in the English dictionary

The first definition of skirmish in the dictionary is a minor short-lived military engagement. Other definition of skirmish is any brisk clash or encounter, usually of a minor nature. Skirmish is also often foll by with to engage in a skirmish.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO SKIRMISH

PRESENT

Present

I skirmish

you skirmish

he/she/it skirmishes

we skirmish

you skirmish

they skirmish

Present continuous

I am skirmishing

you are skirmishing

he/she/it is skirmishing

we are skirmishing

you are skirmishing

they are skirmishing

Present perfect

I have skirmished

you have skirmished

he/she/it has skirmished

we have skirmished

you have skirmished

they have skirmished

Present perfect continuous

I have been skirmishing

you have been skirmishing

he/she/it has been skirmishing

we have been skirmishing

you have been skirmishing

they have been skirmishing

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I skirmished

you skirmished

he/she/it skirmished

we skirmished

you skirmished

they skirmished

Past continuous

I was skirmishing

you were skirmishing

he/she/it was skirmishing

we were skirmishing

you were skirmishing

they were skirmishing

Past perfect

I had skirmished

you had skirmished

he/she/it had skirmished

we had skirmished

you had skirmished

they had skirmished

Past perfect continuous

I had been skirmishing

you had been skirmishing

he/she/it had been skirmishing

we had been skirmishing

you had been skirmishing

they had been skirmishing

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will skirmish

you will skirmish

he/she/it will skirmish

we will skirmish

you will skirmish

they will skirmish

Future continuous

I will be skirmishing

you will be skirmishing

he/she/it will be skirmishing

we will be skirmishing

you will be skirmishing

they will be skirmishing

Future perfect

I will have skirmished

you will have skirmished

he/she/it will have skirmished

we will have skirmished

you will have skirmished

they will have skirmished

Future perfect continuous

I will have been skirmishing

you will have been skirmishing

he/she/it will have been skirmishing

we will have been skirmishing

you will have been skirmishing

they will have been skirmishing

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would skirmish

you would skirmish

he/she/it would skirmish

we would skirmish

you would skirmish

they would skirmish

Conditional continuous

I would be skirmishing

you would be skirmishing

he/she/it would be skirmishing

we would be skirmishing

you would be skirmishing

they would be skirmishing

Conditional perfect

I would have skirmish

you would have skirmish

he/she/it would have skirmish

we would have skirmish

you would have skirmish

they would have skirmish

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been skirmishing

you would have been skirmishing

he/she/it would have been skirmishing

we would have been skirmishing

you would have been skirmishing

they would have been skirmishing

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you skirmish
we let´s skirmish
you skirmish

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to skirmish

Past participle

skirmished

Present Participle

skirmishing

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «SKIRMISH»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «skirmish» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of skirmish

affray · altercation · argument · barney · battle · bickering · biffo · boilover · brush · clash · collide · combat · come to blows · conflict · contest · cross swords · disagreement · dispute · dust-up · encounter · engagement · feud · fight · fracas · grapple · incident · lock horns · quarrel · row · scrap · scrimmage · set-to · spat · squabble · turf war · tussle · wrangle

TRANSLATION OF SKIRMISH

Find out the translation of skirmish to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of skirmish from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «skirmish» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 小规模战斗
• Translator English - Spanish: escaramuza
• English: skirmish
• Translator English - Hindi: झड़प
• Translator English - Arabic: مناوشة
• Translator English - Russian: перестрелка
• Translator English - Portuguese: escaramuça
• Translator English - Bengali: দাঙ্গা
• Translator English - French: escarmouche
• Translator English - Malay: Bersungguh-sungguh
• Translator English - German: Gefecht
• Translator English - Japanese: 小競り合い
• Translator English - Korean: 소규모 접전
• Translator English - Javanese: Skirmish
• Translator English - Vietnamese: cuộc đụng độ
• Translator English - Tamil: சண்டையிலிருந்து
• Translator English - Marathi: चकमकीत
• Translator English - Turkish: çatışma
• Translator English - Italian: scaramuccia
• Translator English - Polish: potyczka
• Translator English - Ukrainian: перестрілка
• Translator English - Romanian: încăierare
• Translator English - Greek: αψιμαχία
• Translator English - Afrikaans: skermutseling
• Translator English - Swedish: skärmytsling
• Translator English - Norwegian: trefning

2 QUOTES WITH «SKIRMISH»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word skirmish.

1

Marcus Buckingham

In a war, no matter the outcome of a certain skirmish or battle, the winner is the party whose attitudes, behaviors and preoccupations come to dominate the postwar landscape. By this measure, the outcome of the gender wars, if wars they were, is clear: women won.

2

James Longstreet

As full lines of battle could not be handled through the thick wood, I ordered the advance of the six brigades by heavy skirmish lines, to be followed by stronger supporting lines.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SKIRMISH»

Discover the use of skirmish in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to skirmish and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

Skirmish: The House War: Book Four

Skirmish takes readers into brand-new territory, beginning right after the conclusion of The Sun Sword.

Michelle West, 2012

Donald Featherstone's Skirmish Wargaming

The book includes: Generic rules for skirmish wargaming Scenarios including period rules for: Vikings! (850AD) Archers in France June (1429) English Civil War Cavalry Action (1643) The Jolly Roger (1715) The 95th Rifles in the Pennisula War ...

John Curry, Donald Featherstone, 2008

Sharpe's Skirmish: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the ...

It is the summer of 1812 and Richard Sharpe, newly recovered from the wound he received in the fighting at Salamanca, is given an easy duty; to guard a Commissary Officer posted to an obscure Spanish fort where there are some captured ...

Bernard Cornwell, 2002

On the Skirmish Line Behind a Friendly Tree: The Civil War ...

The American Civil War was slightly more than a year old-already having lasted longer than most had anticipated-when an eighteen-year-old named William Royal Oake left his family's farm in Charlotte, Iowa, to join the Union forces.

William Royal Oake, Stacy D. Allen, 2006

Scorpio's Skirmish: The Story of Scorpio and Orion

The book is the mythical stories behind the constellations Scorpio the Scorpion and Orion the Hunter.

Lucinda Orr Mitchell, 2009

In Her Majesty's Name: Steampunk Skirmish Wargaming Rules

It is 1895 and the world is in turmoil. The Great Powers compete for resources and the latest technology, and an undeclared and secret war rages between them all. This is the battleground of the Adventuring Companies.

Craig Cartmell, 2013

Skirmish: poems

This is a poetry of--in Gibson's own terms--echolocation, that makes us grapple with the ghosts of speech and world at once. The poems of "Skirmish" are both entertaining and troubling, and full of complex contemporary sensibility.

Dobby Gibson, 2009

"Skirmish" Red, White and Blue: The History of the 7th U.S. ...

The History of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, 1945-1953 Edward L. Daily. CAMPAIGNS FOUGHT BY THE 7TH U.S. CAVALRY Indian War Campaigns Comanchcs Little Big Horn Nez Pcrces Pine Ridge Montana 1873 Dakota 1874 Mexican Expedition ...

Edward L. Daily, 1992

Into the valley: a skirmish of the marines

Re-creates the agony and glory of a jungle skirmish of the U.S. Marines

John Hersey, 1989

Critical Companion to William Faulkner

“Skirmish. at. Sartoris”. Short story (originally titled “Drusilla”), first published in the April ... FAULKNER. (Also see this story's companion piece, “MISTRAL.”) For 272 “Skirmish at Sartoris” “Skirmish at Sartoris” “Snow” (Uncollected Stories)

A. Nicholas Fargnoli, Michael Golay, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SKIRMISH»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term skirmish is used in the context of the following news items.

Ceremony recognizes U-boat skirmish off Florida Key Largo

MIAMI (AP) - Key Largo residents are recognizing the 72nd anniversary of a World War II U-boat skirmish off their coast. The Miami Herald ... «MyFoxOrlando.com, Jul 15»

Skirmish at CSI council meeting

::A council meeting of various dioceses of the Church of South India (CSI) at the LMS Compound here on Friday ended in chaos after arguments between two ... «The Hindu, Jun 15»

'Skirmish' involving Reds boss Jim Carmichael mars Will Genia and …

Saturday's "skirmish" - physical or not - was a sad reflection of tensions north of the border. A win against the odds at Allianz Stadium on Saturday would be a ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Jun 15»

Haddonfield to host revolutionary skirmish

Red Coats and rebels will face off once again when the American Revolution returns to South Jersey for the third annual "Skirmish on Kings Highway.". «Philly.com, Jun 15»

Atop a sacred mountain, a skirmish between pure science and religion

Perhaps inevitably, the dispute has been framed as the latest skirmish in the long-running campaign pitting science against religion. That's a mistake, one that ... «Boston Globe, May 15»

iiNet stays course amid merger skirmish

iiNet stays the course amid merger skirmish iiNet's David Buckingham admits the merger skirmish has been a distraction. Picture: Sharon Smith/The West ... «The West Australian, May 15»

World War II skirmish unfolds this weekend at Colonial Pennsylvania …

Bob Bardsley of Bethel is prepared to skirmish with German forces at the Colonial Pennsylvania Plantationís World War II Skirmish and Camp Saturday and ... «The Delaware County Daily Times, Apr 15»

Purdy: Could Sharks' Wilson-Thornton skirmish lead to trade?

Hockey players are so much more interesting when they speak their minds. That seldom happens. The ratio of cliches to meaningful quotes is roughly 100 to 1. «San Jose Mercury News, Mar 15»

"Church in the Barn" kicks off final day of Skirmish

FLORENCE, S.C. – The final day of the re-enactment of the Skirmish at Gamble's Hotel was kicked off Sunday with a special church service in the barn at The ... «SCNow, Mar 15»

Armenia says 2 killed in skirmish on border with Azerbaijan

It said Monday that an Armenian civilian and an Azerbaijani intruder were killed in the skirmish. The Armenian forces let Azerbaijan recover the intruder's body. «Yahoo News, Jan 15»