skirt

1 of 2

noun

1
a(1)
: a free-hanging part of an outer garment or undergarment extending from the waist down
(2)
: a separate free-hanging outer garment or undergarment usually worn by women and girls covering some or all of the body from the waist down
b
: either of two usually leather flaps on a saddle covering the bars on which the stirrups are hung
c
: a cloth facing that hangs from the bottom edge or across the front of a piece of furniture
d
: the lower branches of a tree when near the ground
2
a
: the rim, periphery, or environs of an area
b
skirts plural : outlying parts (as of a town or city)
3
: a part or attachment serving as a rim, border, or edging
4
slang : a girl or woman
skirted adjective

skirt

2 of 2

verb

skirted; skirting; skirts

transitive verb

1
: to form or run along the border or edge of : border
2
a
: to provide a skirt for
b
: to furnish a border or shield for
3
a
: to go or pass around or about
specifically : to go around or keep away from in order to avoid danger or discovery
b
: to avoid especially because of difficulty or fear of controversy
skirted the issue
c
: to evade or miss by a narrow margin
having skirted disasterEdith Wharton

intransitive verb

: to be, lie, or move along an edge or border
skirter noun

Examples of skirt in a Sentence

Noun She was wearing a short skirt. The skirt of her coat got caught in the car door. They put a protective skirt around the base of the machine. Verb The mayor skirted the issue by saying that a committee was looking into the problem. They tried to skirt the new regulations. He tried to skirt around the question. Pine trees skirt the northern edge of the pond. The road skirts around the lake. We skirted around the edge of the city.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Grab your solar glasses and a favorite hoop skirt, a downtown Greenwood spot known for its root beer floats, tenderloins and taste for nostalgia is reopening in time for a total solar eclipse. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 7 Mar. 2024 According to fan footage, Musgraves, 35, hit the stage in a white blouse and sheer black skirt, while Bryan sported denim and played acoustic guitar — and the crowd sang every word. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 Onscreen, as Elena, Winslet is coifed and practically corseted into form-fitting skirt suits, with lacquered fake nails. Susan Dominus, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The look's long mermaid skirt ended with a small tail. Teresa Romero Martínez, Glamour, 2 Mar. 2024 There, the child incised into the skirt on the right turns out to be standing on one of their mom’s feet, while the child incised on the left is actively stepping up on her other foot. Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public In a bizarre Cleveland city ordinance, it was declared women shall not wear patent leather shoes in public to prevent men from seeing up the woman’s skirt in the reflection of the shoes. Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024 The ‘gamine fille’ appeared here and there, such as a camisole style dress, go-go shorts, and a grey flannel bralette over a turtleneck paired with a skirt. Roxanne Robinson, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Penelope Cruz wore an off-the-shoulder Chanel design with a full tulle skirt; Lily Gladstone chose a custom Armani halter gown in bright red fringe. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
McNabb had Diggs picked off, but the throw to second from first baseman Taylor Howell hit Diggs' helmet and skirted into left field. Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 2 Mar. 2024 The machine skirted around the low furniture and navigated the space well. Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 But quarrels over exemptions and flexibility clauses allowing member states to skirt the rules plagued negotiations. Raf Casert, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 Shipowners willing to skirt trade restrictions can make more than their normal commissions. Christiaan Triebert, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 While many operators in the Permian are complying with existing regulations, Kenney warned those that are skirting the rules will spur even greater federal and state enforcement over the entire industry if ozone levels continue to rise. Susan Montoya Bryan, Fortune, 14 Feb. 2024 But even through mourning One Direction and skirting around FCC guidelines, the comedian came back around to the celebration at hand. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 2 Feb. 2024 Threats from above The Russian and Ukrainian militaries each flood the sky with one-way attack drones that are inexpensive and able to skirt detection. Alex Horton, Washington Post, 22 Feb. 2024 Heather Lombardini faces multiple criminal charges of violating Michigan campaign finance law by soliciting contributions for the petition drive utilizing two nonprofits tied to Shirkey in order to skirt disclosure requirements, Nessel said. Detroit Free Press, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'skirt.' 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

Noun

Middle English, from Old Norse skyrta shirt, kirtle — more at shirt

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

1602, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near skirt

Cite this Entry

“Skirt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skirt. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

skirt

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a free-hanging part of a garment extending from the waist down
b
: a separate free-hanging garment usually worn by women and girls covering the body from the waist down
c
: either of two flaps on a saddle covering the bars on which the stirrups are hung
2
plural : outskirts
3
: a part or attachment serving as a rim, border, or edging

skirt

2 of 2 verb
1
a
: to go or pass around or about
especially : to go around or keep away from in order to avoid danger or discovery
b
: to escape or miss by a narrow margin
2
: to be, lie, or move along an edge, border, or margin

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