What does "skirt" mean?
A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.
Skirt
/skɚt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.
- Grammar: skirt is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: adjoin, annulus, avoid, avoids.
- Useful contrasts: pantsier, address directly, bare wall.
- Usage evidence: I'm looking for a warm, woolen skirt.
How to use "skirt"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "skirt" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "skirt" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "skirt" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "skirt" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "skirt" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "adjoin" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "skirt", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs. countable, uncountable
""I like purple best," said Maida. "And old Schlegel has promised to make it for $8. It's going to be lovely. I'm going to have a plaited skirt and a blouse coat trimmed with a band of galloon under a white cloth collar with two rows of—""
- 2 a garment hanging from the waist; worn mainly by girls and women wordnet
- 3 A similar part of a dress or robe, etc., that hangs below the waist. countable, uncountable
"The petticoats and skirts ordinarily worn are decidedly the heaviest part of the dress ; hence it is necessary that some reform should be effected in these."
- 4 cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist wordnet
- 5 A loose edging to any part of a dress. countable, uncountable
"A narrow lace, or a small skirt of fine ruffled linen, which runs along the upper part of the stays before, and crosses the breast, being a part of the tucker, is called the modesty piece."
Show 8 more definitions
- 6 informal terms for a (young) woman wordnet
- 7 A petticoat. countable, uncountable
- 8 (Fungi) a remnant of the partial veil that in mature mushrooms surrounds the stem like a collar wordnet
- 9 A woman. countable, derogatory, slang, uncountable
""Mate," said the Cockney, after we'd finished about half the bottle, "it comes to me that we're a couple o' blightin' idjits to be workin' for a skirt." "What d'ya mean?" I asked, taking a pull at the bottle. "Well, 'ere's us, two red-blooded 'e-men, takin' orders from a lousy little frail, 'andin' the swag h'over to 'er, and takin' wot she warnts to 'and us, w'en we could 'ave the 'ole lot. Take this job 'ere now--""
- 10 Women collectively, in a sexual context. UK, colloquial, uncountable
- 11 Sexual intercourse with a woman. UK, colloquial, uncountable
- 12 A border; edge; margin; extreme part of anything. countable, uncountable
"here in the skirts of the forest, like fringe upon a petticoat."
- 13 A diaphragm, or midriff. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To be on or form the border of.
"The plain was skirted by rows of trees."
- 2 avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing (duties, questions, or issues) wordnet
- 3 To move around or along the border of; to avoid the center of.
"skirt a mountain"
- 4 extend on all sides of simultaneously; encircle wordnet
- 5 To cover with a skirt; to surround.
"skirted his loins and thighs with downy gold"
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 pass around or about; move along the border wordnet
- 7 To avoid or ignore (something); to manage to avoid (something or a problem); to skate by (something). figuratively
"Near-synonym: circumvent"
- 8 form the edge of wordnet
Example
"I'm looking for a warm, woolen skirt."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "skirt"?
Common synonyms include: adjoin, annulus, avoid, avoids, babe, baby.
How do you use "skirt" in a sentence?
I'm looking for a warm, woolen skirt.
How do you pronounce "skirt"?
Pronounced /skɚt/.
Etymology
From Middle English skyrte, from Old Norse skyrta, from Proto-Germanic *skurtijǭ. Doublet of shirt. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Skoarte (“apron”), Dutch schort (“apron”), German Schürze (“apron”), Danish skørt (“skirt”), Swedish skört (“hem of a jacket”), Norwegian skjørt (“skirt”).