skirmish
A short small fight between two groups.
skirmish in a sentence
- A snowball skirmish broke out between the two classes at playtime.
- A short skirmish over the last apple barrel broke out between the two pirate crews.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to skirmish?
- Acalm
- Bagreement
- Cscuffle
- Dpeace
Show the answer
C: scuffle. The other three mean the opposite of skirmish.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to skirmish?
- Ascuffle
- Bpeace
- Cclash
- Dfight
Show the answer
B: peace. The other three mean nearly the same as skirmish.
Words that mean something similar
scuffle, clash, fight
Words that mean the opposite
peace, calm, agreement
More words about movement & action
- sluggish: Moving slowly and without energy.
- snare: A trap for catching animals, or to catch something in a trap.
- stealthy: Moving quietly and secretly so nobody notices you.
- stifle: To stop something from coming out, such as a laugh or a yawn.
- stoop: To bend your body forwards and downwards.
- stride: To walk with long confident steps.
- submerge: To go or put completely under water.
- supple: Bending and moving easily without stiffness.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test