1
2
as in clash
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
throughout the week of the convention, police engaged in skirmishes with some of the demonstrators
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
as in to prospect
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of skirmish
Philip Elliott, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The killings helped ignite the Revolutionary War that began following the April 19, 1775, skirmishes called the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the vastly bloodier June 17, 1775, Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 25 Nov. 2024
Interim skirmishes that attempt to hold up finalizing the results of minor elections are sending Democrats into a panic.
—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for skirmish
Noun
Yes, Republicans have been getting an earful from their districts, but those skirmishes are going to look perfectly benign compared to what a vindictive Trump could unleash for lawmakers who show too much pluck.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The killings helped ignite the Revolutionary War that began following the April 19, 1775, skirmishes called the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the vastly bloodier June 17, 1775, Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
Verb
The two eyed each other warily as Armenia and Azerbaijan skirmished in the early 2000s.
—Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 25 Nov. 2024
Interim skirmishes that attempt to hold up finalizing the results of minor elections are sending Democrats into a panic.
—Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for skirmish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skirmish
Noun
-
The officers play a video of an encounter between Jamie and Katie.—
Doreen St. Félix,
The New Yorker,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Director Peter Segal shared the crappy circumstances around the encounter while speaking with Entertainment Weekly in celebration of the film's 30th anniversary and its upcoming release on 4K (out March 25).—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
22 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The order’s provision to outlaw post-Election Day ballot tabulation sets up a clash between Trump and California. County officials are given nearly a month to process ballots and millions of ballots in the state are counted in the days and weeks after an election.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
26 Mar. 2025
-
Dudek was promoted when his predecessor resigned, in mid-February, following clashes with DOGE staffers who were attempting to access information about Social Security recipients.—
John Cassidy,
The New Yorker,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
He is embroiled in a feud with Damian Priest, which could mean the two men will brawl at some point in the show.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
24 Mar. 2025
-
Pena, who was brawling with the homeless man, illegally entered the U.S. in 2019 under the Trump administration but was deported two days later.—
Michael Dorgan,
Fox News,
15 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Beyond prospecting, LinkedIn can also be used to support customer retention.—
Sarah Goodall,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Colleague Scott Wheeler ranked him seventh in his latest Rangers prospect analysis.—
Peter Baugh,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Michael Mann, Francis Ford Coppola, Nicolas Cage Pay Tribute to Actor By the time the sequel was filmed and finally came out — there were COVID delays as Tom Cruise (rightly) insisted on a theatrical release — Kilmer was quite deep into his battle with throat cancer.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
So for each attempt, the researchers checked their work by directly probing the sheets with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM).—
Gayoung Lee,
Scientific American,
28 Mar. 2025
-
If an investigation is greenlit, Disney would become the latest of several companies across media and entertainment to be probed by the FCC.—
Winston Cho,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
What is first suspected to be bullying or some kind of fight gone wrong is quickly revealed to be an entirely new horror.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
23 Mar. 2025
-
This is not the moment to slow down the fight or turn our backs on TB.—
Peter Sands,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
The solution is to carve out dedicated time for AEs to explore clients’ industries, market shifts and competitive challenges.—
Drew McLellan,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Swedish artist Lap-See Lam, whose multidisciplinary practice explores narratives and myths surrounding the Cantonese diaspora in Europe, particularly in Sweden, has been announced as the 2025 recipient of the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter’s Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skirmish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skirmish. Accessed 6 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share