skip

SKIP/skɪp/

Verbskips, skipping, skipped

Noun pluralskips

27 meanings of skip

Practice

1
leave outverbtransitive
To leave out or pass over an item, step, or stage in a sequence and go on to the next.
The recipe lets you skip the marinating step if you're short on time.
He skipped several questions on the exam and came back to them later.
UsageTakes the missed part as its object: skip a step, skip the next question. Without skipping a beat means without pausing.
Similaromit, bypass, drop
Oppositeinclude, complete
Note
Passing over part of a sequence is an old courtesy of authors. In Thomas Burnet's Sacred Theory of the Earth (1684–1690), readers untroubled by the doubt those chapters answer "may skip these two Chapters, if they please." The phrase skip a beat belongs here too: a heart misses a pulse, literally or from sudden fear, excitement or delight, and without skipping a beat means without pausing.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Thomas Burnet wrote Sacred Theory of the Earth; its first English edition appeared in 1684–1690. These are English-publication dates; the Latin original appeared in 1681–1689. lindahall.org
Burnet offered readers who did not share the doubt under discussion permission to omit two chapters, using the quoted wording; this confirms the historical example of authors inviting readers to skip material. en.wiktionary.org
2
not attendverbcolloquialtransitive
To deliberately not attend an event, especially a class or meeting.
Several students skipped the lecture to study for another exam.
I never skip team meetings, even when I'm busy.
UsageNo preposition is needed before the event: skip class, skip a meeting.
Similarmiss, cut, ditch
Oppositeattend
3
leap aboutverbintransitive
To move along lightly with small hops and leaps, stepping and hopping on each foot in turn, or to leap lightly over something.
Lambs skip and frolic in the meadow each spring.
On the last day of school, the kids skipped down the sidewalk, laughing and swinging their bags.
UsageOften with a direction word: skipped down the street, skip along, skip past.
Similarhop
Note
Lightness matters as much as the alternating hop from foot to foot. Alexander Pope pairs it with play for a lamb in An Essay on Man (1733), and Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter (1850) sets it beside dancing and frisking. Sports reporting keeps it busy. In Ian Hughes's 2011 BBC match report, a left-back goes "skipping past a few challenges," evading tackles with quick, light steps.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 6 facts
Alexander Pope's An Essay on Man began publication in 1733; the relevant passage appears in its first epistle. gutenberg.org
Pope pairs skipping with playing in a passage about a lamb. gutenberg.org
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, first published in 1850. en.wikipedia.org
The Scarlet Letter places skipping beside dancing and frisking in its narration. english.hku.hk
A 2011 BBC match report by Ian Hughes describes a left-back as 'skipping past a few challenges'. en.wiktionary.org
The quoted action concerns left-back Dan Harding evading challenges during a run. en.wiktionary.org
4
bounce acrossverbintransitive
To bounce lightly across a surface, such as water, or to throw something so that it does this.
Well-thrown stones skip several times before sinking.
The pebble skipped twice and then dropped beneath the surface.
UsageWorks with or without an object: the stone skipped, or you skip stones across a pond.
Similarbounce, skim, skitter
Note
Football writing uses it for a ball that bounces quickly off the turf. In Chris Whyatt's 2010 BBC report on Chelsea against Bolton, a pass meant for Johan Elmander "just skipped away."
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
Chris Whyatt wrote a 2010 BBC report on Chelsea against Bolton. en.wiktionary.org
The report describes a pass intended for Johan Elmander with the words “just skipped away”. en.wiktionary.org
5
nouncountable
An act or way of passing over part of something, including a trick for bypassing part of a video game.
Speedrunners use a well-known skip to bypass the whole water level.
A noticeable skip in the recording left out an entire verse.
Similarshortcut, jump, omission
6
leave secretlyverbcolloquialtransitive
To leave a place suddenly and secretly, often to avoid trouble.
The con artist was always ready to skip town the moment suspicions arose.
When the police started asking questions, he skipped town in the middle of the night.
UsageCommon phrases include skip town and skip the country. Skip bail means deliberately failing to appear in court while on bail.
Similarflee, leave
Note
The object is the place left behind, and town is the classic choice: skip town, skip the country. The phrase usually implies something left unsettled, such as debts or legal trouble. The Baha Men's "Who Let the Dogs Out" (2000) shows how casual it is. Someone who leaves this way and has to be tracked down is called a skip.
Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
Baha Men's version of "Who Let the Dogs Out" was released in 2000. en.wikipedia.org
The song contains the expression "skip town". en.wiktionary.org
A person who leaves this way and is being tracked down is called a skip. en.wikipedia.org
7
leap aboutnouncountable
A light leaping or jumping movement.
With a quick skip, she hopped over the crack in the sidewalk.
His walk turned into a series of skips as the music played.
Similarhop, jump, bound, leap, caper
8
curling captainnouncountable
In curling or bowls, the captain who directs the team's play and usually delivers its last stones or bowls.
The skip crouched at the far end, holding the broom to mark the target.
Their skip read the ice perfectly and called for a takeout.
Similarcaptain, skipper
Note
Curling makes the skip both director and closer. Standing at the far end, the skip holds the broom as the target a teammate aims at, reads the ice and calls each shot. The skip then traditionally delivers the side's last two rocks of the end. Curlers say rocks, where a bowls skip rolls woods.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
The skip directs the team's play. usacurling.org
The skip stands at the receiving end during a teammate's delivery. midwestcurling.com
The broom marks the aiming point; the stone curves toward its intended finishing position. curling.ca
The skip reads the ice and calls the shots. en.wikipedia.org
The skip traditionally delivers the team's last two stones of an end. usacurling.org

Less common meanings

9
verbtransitive or intransitive
Of a moving part such as a disc, chain, or belt, to jump or slip out of its regular motion, missing a section or going over one again.
Scratched CDs tend to skip, especially in a car on a bumpy road.
The worn timing belt skipped a tooth, and the engine stopped running smoothly.
Similarjump, slip
10
waste containernounCommonwealthIrelandUKcountable
In British usage, a large waste container designed to be lifted onto a truck and removed along with its contents.
They ordered a skip for the renovation and filled it within a day.
The council fined them for leaving a skip on the road without a permit.
UsageYou order or fill a skip. In American English the word is dumpster.
Similardumpster
Note
It is unrelated to the hopping verb. It comes from Middle English skep and Old English sceppe, from Old Norse skeppa, "basket, bushel, measure," so a basket grew into a container a truck can lift.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
The container noun has a different origin from the hopping verb, which derives from Middle English skippen or skyppen. en.wiktionary.org
The container noun derives through Middle English skep and Old English sceppe from Old Norse skeppa, glossed as basket, bushel or measure. en.wiktionary.org
The waste-container name developed from a word for a basket. en.wikipedia.org
11
jump ropeverbintransitive
To jump repeatedly over a swinging rope as a game or form of exercise.
Boxers often skip to build footwork and stamina.
The children skipped together, chanting a rhyme.
UsageNeeds no object, since the rope is understood: the girls were skipping. Jump rope means the same.
12
person in hidingnouncountable
Someone who tries to vanish so that no one can track them down.
The bondsman finally located the skip in another state.
Tracing a skip often means following a trail of unpaid bills.
Similarfugitive, absconder, runaway
Note
Debt collection and bail work keep this noun alive, mostly through the compound skip tracer, the person paid to find skips. In Susan Nash's Skip Tracing Basics and Beyond (2008), the typical skip is a debtor who has disappeared without paying. The person is named after the act of leaving suddenly and covertly, so the word already carries a hint of an unpaid bill.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts
Susan Nash wrote Skip Tracing Basics and Beyond. everand.com
The book was first published in 2008; 2012 is the second edition. everand.com
Nash describes a skip as a debtor who cannot be located. everand.com
The noun derives from the act of leaving or skipping town. en.wikipedia.org
13
ship captainnouncolloquialcountable
The captain of a ship or sports team, or another person in charge; a skipper.
The skip kept the crew calm as the storm closed in.
The crew always checked with the skip before knocking off early.
Similarskipper, captain, boss, chief, leader
Note
A shortening of skipper, which English borrowed in late Middle English from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German schipper, "captain." That word earlier meant "seaman" and comes from schip, "ship." This skip is unrelated to the hop or the bin, and it carries authority. From the ship's master it spread to anyone in charge, including the captains of sports teams.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 7 facts
Skip is a shortening of skipper. en.wiktionary.org
English borrowed skipper in late Middle English from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German schipper, meaning captain. en.wiktionary.org
Schipper earlier meant seaman and derives from the word for ship. en.wiktionary.org
The captain sense and the hopping sense have separate origins, as inferred from their documented etymologies. en.wiktionary.org
The container sense has a separate origin in a word meaning basket. en.wikipedia.org
The nautical term extended to leadership roles in sports. en.wikipedia.org
The extended meanings include other leaders and sports-team captains. en.wiktionary.org
14
bad songnouncolloquialcountable
A song not worth listening to, most often one of the tracks on an album.
The record is solid except for one obvious skip near the end.
Critics called the bonus track a skip and praised the rest.
UsageOften in no skips, praise for an album without a weak track.
Similardud, filler, clunker, stinker
Oppositebanger, standout, highlight
15
boss's bossnounslangcountable
The manager above one's immediate boss; the boss of one's boss.
He scheduled a one-on-one with his skip to discuss the reorganization.
When the team lost its manager, the skip stepped in temporarily.
UsageUsually with a possessive: my skip, a meeting with my skip.
Note
A clipping of skip-level manager, so called because the relationship jumps one rung of the chart: your manager's manager. Grandboss names the same person. The same jump gives the skip-level meeting, where staff talk with their manager's manager directly.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts
Skip is a clipping of skip-level manager. en.wiktionary.org
Skip-level refers to bypassing an intermediate rank, explaining the manager relationship and the meeting's name. en.wiktionary.org
A skip-level meeting bypasses the immediate manager so employees speak directly with that manager's manager. its.yale.edu
16
throw outverbtransitive
To put something into a skip, a large waste container that a truck lifts and carries away along with its contents.
Similardump, bin, scrap, discard
Oppositesalvage, keep
17
scout leadernouncolloquialcountable
The scoutmaster of a scout troop, and likewise the scouts' form of address for him.
Every camp ended with the skip leading the troop in a final song.
"Skip, the river's too high to cross," warned the patrol leader.
UsageWritten with a capital when speaking to him: Skip, the river's high. Lower case for the role: the skip.
Similarscoutmaster
Note
Scouting keeps the skipper's authority in a friendlier form. Scouts use the word both for their scoutmaster and to him, so it works as a name.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
The Scouting nickname 'Skip' is an abbreviation of 'Skipper', a name for a ship's captain. hls-scouts.org.uk
18
note jumpnouncountable
A move from one note to another that spans more than a single step at once.
The melody opens with a skip from the tonic up to the fifth.
Singers often slide where the score actually calls for a clean skip.
Similarleap, jump
Oppositestep
Note
Music theory sets the skip against the step. A step moves to the neighboring scale degree, a second away. A skip passes over at least one degree, as from the tonic up to the third or fifth. Describing a melody as stepwise or full of skips is one of the basic ways of characterizing its shape and how easily it sings.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
A step moves between neighboring scale degrees, an interval of a second. kaitlinbove.com
Skips pass over intervening scale degrees and include thirds and fifths. upload.wikimedia.org
The distinction between steps and skips helps characterize melodic shape. makingmusic.ableton.com
Stepwise motion and leaps help characterize a melody's shape. makingmusic.ableton.com
The arrangement of steps and leaps affects a melody's singability. musictheory.pugetsound.edu
19
radio bouncenoununcountable
The reflection of radio waves off the ionosphere, allowing signals to travel far beyond the horizon; skywave propagation.
Amateur operators waited for the skip to open up the higher bands.
Unusual skip brought in a distant AM station late at night.
Similarskywave
Note
Radio operators use skip for the signal that returns to earth from the ionosphere, far beyond the horizon. They speak of the skip opening up or coming in. The related term skip distance is the shortest range at which the returning skywave can be received. That is why nearer stations can fall silent while distant ones arrive clearly.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
Radio signals can return to Earth from the ionosphere over long distances beyond the horizon. arrl.org
Skip distance is the shortest distance from the transmitter at which the returning skywave reaches Earth. avarc.ca
Skip zones can prevent reception of nearer stations while more distant stations remain audible. sws.bom.gov.au
20
mine bucketnouncountable
A container, hoisted in a shaft or run on rails, for carrying ore or waste rock in a mine.
At the top of the shaft, the skip tipped its load of ore into a waiting bin.
Crews emptied the skip of mullock before the next blast.
Note
Mining kept the word close to its roots. Old English sceppe, from Old Norse skeppa, meant a basket or bushel measure, and the skip still chiefly hauls loose material rather than people. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's When the World Screamed (1928) shows the working arrangement: skips fastened to a continuous steel rope, drawing debris up a shaft by successive stages. Its relative above ground is the large waste container.
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 7 facts
The container word descends from Old English sceppe, borrowed from Old Norse skeppa. en.wiktionary.org
Old English sceppe meant a basket or bushel measure. en.wiktionary.org
Skips chiefly carry material, but can also carry people under specified conditions, including shaft inspection, maintenance and emergencies. novascotia.ca
Arthur Conan Doyle wrote When the World Screamed. arthur-conan-doyle.com
It first appeared in Liberty on 25 February and 3 March 1928; it was collected in The Maracot Deep and Other Stories in 1929. en.wikipedia.org
The story describes skips attached to a continuous steel rope, raising debris from a shaft in successive stages. en.wikisource.org
The large waste-container sense belongs to the same etymological family. en.wikipedia.org
21
Australian (British roots)nounslangAustraliacountable
An Australian of Anglo-Celtic descent.
At the barbecue the skips chatted with the Greek and Lebanese families.
Growing up in a mostly Greek neighborhood, she was the only skip at her school.
UsageIts tone depends on the speaker: teasing among friends, but it can be taken as an insult.
SimilarAnglo
Note
A playground answer to insult. Australians of non-British descent, children especially, coined it from the television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo, giving back something for the slurs aimed at them.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
Australians of non-British descent, particularly children, coined skip in reference to Skippy the Bush Kangaroo to counter derogatory terms directed at them. en.wiktionary.org
22
verb
Of a printing press or printer, to transfer too little ink, leaving gaps or faint areas in the image.
23
noundialectalScotlandUK
A basket, for instance a fisherman's creel or one carried in the hand.
24
noun
A basket on wheels, used mainly for moving goods around textile mills.
25
noun
A batch of syrup loaded into the boiling pans in sugar making.
26
noun
A dome-shaped hive of plaited straw or wicker for keeping bees.
27
noun
A man employed to look after students' rooms at a college.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of skip apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–7, 9, 11–12, 14, 18–19

Middle English skippen or skyppen came from a North Germanic source that goes back to Proto-Germanic *skupjaną. That form may be connected with a root meaning "to drive, push," traced to *skewbʰ- in Proto-Indo-European, meaning "to push, throw, shake." English shove, Old Swedish skuppa ("to skip"), and Icelandic skopa ("to take a run") are related.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Middle English skippen and skyppen are of North Germanic origin and ultimately derive from Proto-Germanic *skupjaną. en.wiktionary.org
*skupjaną may be related to a Germanic form meaning “to drive, push,” traced to Proto-Indo-European *skewbʰ-, meaning “to push, throw, shake.” en.wiktionary.org
English shove, Old Swedish skuppa (“to skip”), and Icelandic skopa (“to take a run”) are related to skip. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 10, 16, 20

Old Norse skeppa or skjappa ("basket, bushel, measure"), which may come from scheppe, a Middle Low German word for "a unit of weight," gave Old English sceppe and then Middle English skep or skeppe. German Scheffel ("bushel") may be connected, and all of these words might ultimately be tied to *skap ("shape").

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts

Old Norse had the forms skeppa and skjappa meaning bushel or measure. en.wiktionary.org
Old English sceppe came from Old Norse skeppa, meaning basket. en.wiktionary.org
Old English sceppe gave Middle English skep and skeppe. en.wiktionary.org
The Old Norse forms may derive from Middle Low German scheppe, meaning a unit of weight. en.wiktionary.org
German Scheffel means bushel and may be related; these words may ultimately connect with *skap, meaning shape. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 8, 13, 17

Middle Dutch and Middle Low German schipper, formed from schip ("ship"), first meant "seaman" and later "captain." Late Middle English borrowed it as skipper.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Late Middle English borrowed skipper from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German schipper. en.wiktionary.org
Schipper was formed from schip, meaning ship. en.wiktionary.org
Schipper meant seaman before it meant captain. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 21

Australians of non-British background, especially children, coined and used this word to answer insulting names aimed at them. It refers to the TV series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo and ultimately goes back to etymology 1.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Australians of non-British background, especially children, coined and used the word to counter insults directed at them. history.cass.anu.edu.au
The word refers to the television series Skippy the Bush Kangaroo. en.wiktionary.org
This sense ultimately derives from skip under etymology 1. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 15

A clipping of skip-level manager.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

Skip is a clipping of skip-level manager. en.wiktionary.org