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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
Philip Elliott, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The killings helped ignite the Revolutionary War that began following the April 19, 1775, skirmishes called the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the vastly bloodier June 17, 1775, Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 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
Yes, Republicans have been getting an earful from their districts, but those skirmishes are going to look perfectly benign compared to what a vindictive Trump could unleash for lawmakers who show too much pluck.
—Philip Elliott, TIME, 25 Feb. 2025
The killings helped ignite the Revolutionary War that began following the April 19, 1775, skirmishes called the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the vastly bloodier June 17, 1775, Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown.
—Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 3 Mar. 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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Chapters are devoted to encounters with Tennessee Williams, Van Morrison, John Lee Hooker, Bob Dylan, Alfred Hitchcock and more.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
5 Apr. 2025
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During a 2019 episode of Inside the NBA, Shaq recounted an encounter that left him completely stunned.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Since then, while tallies have fluctuated, the average has been around 180 clashes per day, an increase of about 30%.—
Andrew Carey and Kosta Gak,
CNN Money,
9 Apr. 2025
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Real-Life Vince McMahon Confrontation The Undertaker vs. Bray Wyatt The WrestleMania 31 match between The Undertaker and Bray Wyatt, a clash of dark characters, was disappointing for several reasons.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Punk and Rollins brawled, and the brawl ended when Rollins outsmarted Punk and hit him with a Stomp.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
7 Apr. 2025
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Punk cut an insanely good promo, addressing Cena’s heel turn and ultimately brawling with Seth Rollins.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Even prospects a tier or two below those guys (namely, Bo Nix and Michael Penix Jr.) acquitted themselves well down the back half of their rookie seasons.—
Derrik Klassen,
The Athletic,
25 Mar. 2025
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Younger arms like Michael McGreevey and Matthew Liberatore could get starting opportunities sooner, and better prospects Quinn Mathews and Tink Hence could get them later.—
Tony Blengino,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Despite being a nonpartisan race, the Badger State contest served as a national proxy battle for Democratic officials and progressive groups, who are grasping at any glimmer of hope amid Trump 2.0's dominance in Washington that has expanded to other parts of the country and culture.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Several animal studies and early human trials have started to probe that question.5 In one observational study, researchers found that postmenopausal women had a higher likelihood of developing severe liver fibrosis compared to younger women.—
Claire Bugos,
Verywell Health,
7 Apr. 2025
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And now, scientists have found a new way to probe these tremors in stars' convective envelopes, the turbulent outer layers of a stellar body where hot gas rises, cools and sinks in a churning cycle of energy transfer.—
Victoria Corless,
Space.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the co-main event of the fight card, Brandon Grach and Liam Talivaa face off in a heavyweight rematch.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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And now, she's won her fight to criminalize deepfakes.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The solution is to carve out dedicated time for AEs to explore clients’ industries, market shifts and competitive challenges.—
Drew McLellan,
Forbes.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Swedish artist Lap-See Lam, whose multidisciplinary practice explores narratives and myths surrounding the Cantonese diaspora in Europe, particularly in Sweden, has been announced as the 2025 recipient of the Henie Onstad Kunstsenter’s Lise Wilhelmsen Art Award.—
News Desk,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skirmish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skirmish. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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