verb

skip

skihp

verb

To move along lightly with a hop in each step.

"The children skipped down the path toward the playground."

"She skipped happily across the schoolyard."

To leave out or not do something you would normally do.

"He decided to skip breakfast and go straight to work."

"Don't skip the warm-up before you exercise."

To not attend something, especially a class or meeting.

"She skipped the lecture to finish her essay."

"He got in trouble for skipping school."

To leave suddenly, often to avoid trouble.

"The tenant skipped town owing three months' rent."

noun

(UK) A large open container for waste and rubble, often left outside a building site.

"They hired a skip to clear out the old furniture from the garage."

"Builders filled the skip with broken bricks by the end of the day."

How to Use Skip

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo hop lightly, or to leave something out — and in British English, also a big rubbish container.

UK vs US

The rubbish-container sense ("hire a skip") is British; Americans call this a dumpster.

Common pairings

skip a meal skip class hire a skip skip town

Word Forms

skipped past tense, skipped past tense, skip plural, skipped plural, skips plural, skips plural, skips plural, skips plural, skips plural, skips plural, skips singular, skip singular, skipped singular, skippest singular, skippedst singular, skippeth singular, skips singular

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Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

He decided to _____ breakfast and go straight to work.

Etymology

From Middle English skippen, of North Germanic origin — likely related to Old Norse words meaning "to leap" or "push repeatedly", the same root family as the English word "shove".

Rhymes for skip

kip

See all rhymes for skip →