skirt

1 of 2

noun

ˈskərt 

plural skirts

1

a(1)

: a free-hanging outer garment or undergarment covering some or all of the body from the waist down and traditionally worn by women and girls

Whether plaid or neutral, midi or mini, the pleated skirt has a certain staying power, a badge of being forever in.

—Megan O'Sullivan

(2)

: a free-hanging part of an outer garment or undergarment extending from the waist down

… Ahab, without speaking, was slowly rubbing the gold piece against the skirts of his jacket, as if to heighten its lustre …

—Herman Melville

b

: a cloth facing that hangs from the bottom edge or across the front of a piece of furniture

I love to take a little kitchenette or bathroom and under sinks, instead of a big bulky cabinet; I love the idea of running a very simple … skirt underneath.

—Chad James, quoted at housebeautiful.com

c

: either of two usually leather flaps on a saddle covering the bars on which the stirrups are hung

The more skirt material, the more weight added to the saddle, which explains why barrel-racing saddle skirts are round and barely extend beyond the saddle tree.

—Cynthia McFarland

d

: the lower branches of a tree when near the ground

Raising tree skirts is a relatively simple process that can be done with the use of secateurs, loppers or small handsaws.

—West Coast Tree Experts

2

a

: the rim, periphery, or environs of an area

b

skirts plural : outlying parts (as of a town or city) : outskirts

… unfenced pastures on the skirts of the village.

—Joseph Mitchell

3

: a part or attachment serving as a rim, border, or edging

4

slang, often offensive : a girl or woman

especially : a female object of sexual desire

In the 1950s smoking, drinking, gambling, cursing, and skirt chasing were all classified as vices, things to be condemned and avoided.

—Bill Nunes

skirted

ˈskər-təd 

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 disaster

—Edith Wharton

intransitive verb

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

skirter noun

Synonyms

Noun

• border
• borderline
• bound
• boundary
• brim
• circumference
• compass
• confines
• edge
• edging
• end
• frame
• fringe
• hem
• margin
• perimeter
• periphery
• rim
• skirting
• verge

Verb

• bypass
• circumnavigate
• circumvent
• detour

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

Wang greets me in a white sweater and a cream checkerboard skirt on the restaurant’s ground floor, lively with customers yet intimate with the amber glow of tasseled lamps. —Ingu Chen, Vogue, 17 Sep. 2024

Dress them up with trousers and skirts, or pair them with wide-leg jeans for casual outings. —Isabel Garcia, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024

Verb

And at SpaceX, skirting California government regulators has led to notoriously unhappy residents and lawsuits in a Texas town where the company set up shop to launch and test its massive rockets. —Cnn.com, The Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2024

Before sunrise the next morning, the general ordered a detachment of cavalry to skirt the village and take up a position to the north. —Tim Madigan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Oct. 2024

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

Phrases Containing skirt

• hobble skirt
• skirt steak

Kids Definition

skirt

1 of 2 noun

ˈskərt 

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