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as in clash
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
throughout the week of the convention, police engaged in skirmishes with some of the demonstrators
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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as in to prospect
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skirmish
Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
The move is another skirmish in a broader set of battles being fought on multiple fronts: between competing pharmaceutical companies, between the pharma industry and pharmacy benefit managers, between pharma and direct-to-consumer telehealth companies.
—Seth Joseph, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 13 Nov. 2024
The two eyed each other warily as Armenia and Azerbaijan skirmished in the early 2000s.
—Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 25 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for skirmish
Noun
The two countries have periodically engaged in wars, clashes and skirmishes since gaining independence from British India in 1947.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
The move is another skirmish in a broader set of battles being fought on multiple fronts: between competing pharmaceutical companies, between the pharma industry and pharmacy benefit managers, between pharma and direct-to-consumer telehealth companies.
—Seth Joseph, Forbes.com, 5 May 2025
Verb
Garcia, who had the backing of the same progressive groups backing Hernandez, frequently skirmished with Gallego.
—Taylor Seely, The Arizona Republic, 13 Nov. 2024
The two eyed each other warily as Armenia and Azerbaijan skirmished in the early 2000s.
—Maria Snegovaya, Foreign Affairs, 25 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for skirmish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skirmish
Noun
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Defusing such close encounters can help reduce risk for humans—and for bears, too, by reducing the need for government conservation officers to shoot bears deemed a public danger, a scenario that led to the death of 24 grizzly bears in British Columbia in 2024.—
Lesley Evans Ogden,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
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She and her fellow hybrids are sent to investigate the site, leading to the encounter of mysterious life forms — including one ferocious Xenomorph.—
Nick Romano,
EW.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Trump tests legal strategies as judges block his policies As the clash becomes a defining moment in the president's second term, conservative activists are pushing Congress to rein in federal judges and pressing Trump to intensify his fight with the courts.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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The clash between Villaraigosa’s environmentalist credentials and oil-industry ties surfaced in the governor’s race after Valero announced in late April that its Bay Area refinery would close next year, not long after Phillips 66 said its Wilmington refinery would close in 2025.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
Verb
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Rollins followed him there and the two brawled on top of the cage.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes,
10 Mar. 2025
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Becky and Lyra inevitably brawled, and Lyra got the better of Lynch.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
5 May 2025
Verb
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Taylor started in center field against the New York Yankees on Monday and went 0 for 3. Angels prospect Kyren Paris, who was struggling at the plate in recent weeks — hitting just .190 — was optioned to triple-A Salt Lake City to make room for Taylor on the roster.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2025
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Business Development Representative – part of the sales team handling prospecting.—
Robin Ryan,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
Noun
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Recently, a German court quietly ended a landmark legal battle that had spanned nearly a decade.—
Monica Sanders,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2025
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Fires and recovery Crews battle fire burning in Pala, evacuations underway in northern San Diego County.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2025
Verb
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Beyond galvanizing opposition across Iran, the movement probes and brings the regime’s covert operations to light.—
Kazem Kazerounian,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2025
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No arrests have been made as cops continue to probe the incident.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2025
Noun
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The awards ceremony reception was being held outdoors when the fight between two adults led to the stabbing, a Fort Worth ISD spokesperson said in a statement.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 May 2025
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Even when cases of public console hacking have led to protracted legal fights—such as George Hotz's saga with the PS3 or Team Xecuter's Switch jailbreaks—console makers don't seem to have used technical means to completely disable offline functions for specific consoles.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2025
Verb
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This installation for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cantor Roof Garden comprises four sculptural elements that explore the sonic and formal potential of simple stringed instruments.—
Caitlin Woolsey,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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An award-winning Palestinian American writer tackles subjects including home, displacement and gestation in this lyrical memoir that explores the trauma of fractured identity.—
Bethanne Patrick,
Los Angeles Times,
1 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skirmish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skirmish. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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