Skirmishes — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈskər-mish/

Meaning & Definition of Skirmishes

Skirmishes (verb)

  1. to engage in a skirmish
  2. to search about (as for supplies), scout around

Skirmishes (noun)

  1. a minor fight in war usually incidental to larger movements
  2. a brisk preliminary verbal conflict
  3. a minor dispute or contest between opposing parties

Skirmishes (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a brief clash between enemies or rivals

    "the candidates' first debate was only a skirmish in a very long campaign"

    similar: brushes, encounters, hassles, run-ins, scrapes
    related: arguments, fights, quarrels, rows, spats, squabbles, tiffs, battles, brawls, frays, wrangles

  2. a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups

    "throughout the week of the convention, police engaged in skirmishes with some of the demonstrators"

    similar: battles, clashes, combats, conflicts, contests, dustups, fights, fracases, frays, hassles, scraps, scrimmages, scrums, scuffles, struggles, tussles
    related: pitched battles, rough-and-tumbles, affrays (chiefly British), battles royal, brawls, broils, donnybrooks, free-for-alls, melees, mix-ups, ruckuses, ructions, blows, fistfights, fisticuffs, grapples, handgrips, punch-outs, punch-ups (chiefly British), slugfests, confrontations, duels, face-offs, jousts, altercations, argle-bargles (chiefly British), arguments, argy-bargies (chiefly British), contretemps, controversies, cross fires, disagreements, disputes, fallings-out, kickups, misunderstandings, quarrels, rows, spats, squabbles, tangles, tiffs, wrangles, catfights
    near: truces

Skirmishes (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in brawls

    similar: brawls, boxes, spars, bashes, batters, beats, buffets, hits, punches, slugs, strikes, battles, clashes (with), combats, contends, duels, fights, wars (against), grapples, rassles, scuffles, tussles, wrestles

  2. as in explores, probes

    similar: explores, probes, prospects, snoops, grubs (about), pokes (around), browses, glances (over), looks over, ascertains, descries, detects, determines, discovers, ferrets (out), finds, finds out, gets, hits (on or upon), learns, locates, runs down, scares up, tracks (down), peruses, studies, audits, checks (out), examines, inspects, investigates, reviews, scans, scrutinizes, surveys, frisks, pats down, shakes down, combs, digs (through), dredges, hunts (through), rakes, ransacks, rifles, rummages, scours, searches, sorts (through), trolls
    opposite: hides, abandons, loses, ignores, neglects

Related Entry: Skirmish (noun)

Skirmish is a different word from Skirmishes. The synonyms below are for skirmish, not for skirmishes.

  1. a brief clash between enemies or rivals

    "the candidates' first debate was only a skirmish in a very long campaign"

    similar: brush, encounter, hassle, run-in, scrape
    related: argument, fight, quarrel, row, spat, squabble, tiff, battle, brawl, fray, wrangle

  2. a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups

    "throughout the week of the convention, police engaged in skirmishes with some of the demonstrators"

    similar: battle, clash, combat, conflict, contest, dustup, fight, fracas, fray, hassle, scrap, scrimmage, scrum, scuffle, struggle, tussle
    related: pitched battle, rough-and-tumble, affray (chiefly British), battle royal, brawl, broil, donnybrook, free-for-all, melee, mix-up, ruckus, ruction, blows, fistfight, fisticuffs, grapple, handgrips, punch-out, punch-up (chiefly British), slugfest, confrontation, duel, face-off, joust, altercation, argle-bargle (chiefly British), argument, argy-bargy (chiefly British), contretemps, controversy, cross fire, disagreement, dispute, falling-out, kickup, misunderstanding, quarrel, row, spat, squabble, tangle, tiff, wrangle, catfight
    near: truce

Related Entry: Skirmish (with) (verb)

Skirmish (with) is a different word from Skirmishes. The synonyms below are for skirmish (with), not for skirmishes.

  1. to oppose (someone) in physical conflict

    "for years the Apache leader had been skirmishing with the Mexicans, who were responsible for his nickname, Geronimo"

    similar: battle, clash (with), combat, fight, scrimmage (with), war (against)
    related: duel, joust, bang, bash, bat, batter, beat, belt, bludgeon, bop, buffet, clobber, hammer, hit, knock, paste, pound, punch, slam, slap, slog, slug, smack, smite, sock, strike, swat, swipe, thump, thwack, wallop, whack, whale, box, spar, brawl, grapple, scuffle, tussle, wrestle, bump, collide
    near: give up, submit, surrender

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Skirmishes

The most common words with a similar meaning to Skirmishes:

brushes, encounters, hassles, run-ins, scrapes, battles, clashes, combats, conflicts, contests, dustups, fights, fracases, frays, scraps, scrimmages, scrums, scuffles, struggles, tussles, brawls, boxes, spars, bashes, batters, beats, buffets, hits, punches, slugs, strikes, clashes (with), contends, duels, wars (against), grapples, rassles, wrestles, explores, probes

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Skirmishes

Words with the opposite meaning of Skirmishes:

hides, abandons, loses, ignores, neglects

Related Words for Skirmishes

arguments, quarrels, rows, spats, squabbles, tiffs, wrangles, pitched battles, rough-and-tumbles, affrays, battles royal, broils, donnybrooks, free-for-alls, melees, mix-ups, ruckuses, ructions, blows, fistfights, fisticuffs, handgrips, punch-outs, punch-ups, slugfests, confrontations, face-offs, jousts, altercations, argle-bargles

Near Antonyms of Skirmishes

truces

Word Forms of Skirmishes

Inflections: skirmished, skirmishing

Derived words: skirmisher (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Skirmishes

Middle English skyrmissh, alteration (influenced by Anglo-French eskermir to fence (with swords), protect, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German scirmen to protect, scirm shield) of skarmuch, from Anglo-French escarmuche, from Old Italian scaramuccia screen

First known use: 14th century

Frequently Asked Questions about Skirmishes

What does "Skirmishes" mean?

"Skirmishes" means to engage in a skirmish. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to engage in a skirmish. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Skirmishes"?

Other words for "Skirmishes" include brushes, encounters, hassles, run-ins, scrapes, battles, clashes and combats. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Skirmishes" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Skirmishes"?

There are 129 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Skirmishes". Common alternatives include brushes, encounters, hassles, run-ins, scrapes, battles, clashes, combats, conflicts and contests.

What is the opposite of "Skirmishes"?

Antonyms of "Skirmishes" include hides, abandons, loses, ignores and neglects. Near antonyms include truces.

How do you use "Skirmishes" in a sentence?

Examples of "Skirmishes" in a sentence: "the candidates' first debate was only a skirmish in a very long campaign"; "throughout the week of the convention, police engaged in skirmishes with some of the demonstrators".

Is "Skirmishes" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Skirmishes" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Skirmishes"?

"Skirmishes" is pronounced /ˈskər-mish/.

What is the origin of the word "Skirmishes"?

"Skirmishes" comes from Middle English skyrmissh, alteration (influenced by Anglo-French eskermir to fence (with swords), protect, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German scirmen to protect, scirm shield) of skarmuch, from Anglo-French escarmuche, from Old Italian scaramuccia screen. First known use: 14th century.