Skirmish

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: skir=mish

CIDE DICTIONARY

Skirmish, v. i. [OE. skirmishen, scarmishen, OF. escremir, eskermir, to fence, fight, F. escrimer, of German origin; cf. OHG. scirmen to protect, defend, G. schirmen, OHG. scirm, scerm, protection, shield, G. schirm; perhaps akin to Gr. a sunshade. Cf. Scaramouch, Scrimmage.].

 To fight slightly or in small parties; to engage in a skirmish or skirmishes; to act as skirmishers.  [1913 Webster]

Skirmish, n. [OE. scarmishe, scrymishe. See Skirmish, v. i.].

•  A slight fight in war; a light or desultory combat between detachments from armies, or between detached and small bodies of troops.  [1913 Webster]
•  A slight contest.  [1913 Webster]

  "They never meet but there's a skirmish of wit."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Skirmish, n. & v.
--n.
1 a piece of irregular or unpremeditated fighting esp. between small or outlying parts of armies or fleets, a slight engagement.
2 a short argument or contest of wit etc.
--v.intr. engage in a skirmish.

Derivative

skirmisher n.

Etymology

ME f. OF eskirmir, escremir f. Frank.

THESAURUS

Skirmish

action, aerial combat, affray, ambush, armored combat, assault, attack, battle, battle royal, box, brawl, broil, brush, bullfight, clash, clash of arms, close, cockfight, collide, combat, come to blows, conflict, confrontation, contend, contest, cut and thrust, dogfight, duel, embroilment, encounter, engagement, exchange blows, exchange of blows, fence, feud, fight, fight a duel, fire fight, fracas, fray, give and take, give satisfaction, grapple, grapple with, ground combat, hand-to-hand combat, hand-to-hand fight, house-to-house combat, jostle, joust, melee, mix it up, naval combat, passage of arms, pitched battle, quarrel, rassle, riot, rumble, run a tilt, run-in, running fight, scramble, scrap, scrimmage, scuffle, set-to, shoving match, showdown, spar, stand-up fight, street fight, strive, struggle, tauromachy, thrust and parry, tilt, tourney, tug-of-war, tussle, wage war, war, wrestle

ROGET THESAURUS

Skirmish

Contention

N contention, strife, contest, contestation, struggle, belligerency, opposition, controversy, polemics, debate, war of words, logomachy, litigation, paper war, high words, sparring, competition, rivalry, corrivalry, corrivalship, agonism, concours, match, race, horse racing, heat, steeple chase, handicap, regatta, field day, sham fight, Derby day, turf, sporting, bullfight, tauromachy, gymkhana, boat race, torpids, wrestling, greco-roman wrestling, pugilism, boxing, fisticuffs, the manly art of self-defense, spar, mill, set-to, round, bout, event, prize fighting, quarterstaff, single stick, gladiatorship, gymnastics, jiujitsu, jujutsu, kooshti, sumo, athletics, athletic sports, games of skill, shindy, fracas, clash of arms, tussle, scuffle, broil, fray, affray, affrayment, velitation, colluctation, luctation, brabble, brigue, scramble, melee, scrimmage, stramash, bushfighting, free fight, stand up fight, hand to hand, running fight, conflict, skirmish, rencounter, encounter, rencontre, collision, affair, brush, fight, battle, battle royal, combat, action, engagement, joust, tournament, tilt, tilting, tournay, list, pitched battle, death struggle, struggle for life or death, life or death struggle, Armageddon, hard knocks, sharp contest, tug of war, naval engagement, naumachia, sea fight, duel, duello, single combat, monomachy, satisfaction, passage d'armes, passage of arms, affair of honor, triangular duel, hostile meeting, digladiation, deeds of arms, feats of arms, appeal to arms, pugnacity, combativeness, bone of contention, contending, together by the ears, at loggerheads, at war, at issue, competitive, rival, belligerent, contentious, combative, bellicose, unpeaceful, warlike, quarrelsome, pugnacious, pugilistic, gladiatorial, palestric, palestrical, a verbis ad verbera, a word and a blow, a very pretty quarrel as it stands, commune periculum concordiam parit, lis litem generat.

VB contend, contest, strive, struggle, scramble, wrestle, spar, square, exchange blows, exchange fisticuffs, fib, justle, tussle, tilt, box, stave, fence, skirmish, pickeer, fight, wrangle, contend with, grapple with, engage with, close with, buckle with, bandy with, try conclusions with, have a brush, with, tilt with, encounter, fall foul of, pitch into, clapperclaw, run a tilt at, oppose, reluct, join issue, come to blows, go to loggerheads, set to, come to the scratch, exchange shots, measure swords, meet hand to hand, take up the cudgels, take up the glove, take up the gauntlet, enter the lists, couch one's lance, give satisfaction, appeal to arms, lay about one, break the peace, compete with, cope with, vie with, race with, outvie, emulate, rival, run a race, contend for, stipulate for, stickle for, insist upon, make a point of.