I. ˈskip verb
( skipped ; skipped ; skipping ; skips )
Etymology: Middle English skippen, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse skopa to take a run, Swedish dialect skopa to hop, dance; probably akin to Old Saxon skop poet — more at scop
intransitive verb
1.
a.
(1) : to move or proceed with a skip : move with leaps and bounds : move in a light dancing motion : caper , gambol
can skip and frisk about with wonderful agility — William Cowper
(2) : to move by bounding off one point after another : ricochet
skipping across the surface of the water like a flung stone — C.L.Biemiller
(3) : to proceed as if by exaggerated bounds
the shock wave, which often skips erratically, was felt … some 130 miles distant — New York Times
: hop
skip along the Florida coast towns in a … helicopter — Horace Sutton
b. : to move quickly, easily, and usually blithely
skipped happily to his hotel to interview him — Sinclair Lewis
small yachts skipped here and there — Alan Villers
the opening chapters alternately plod and skip along — Jay Leyda
c. : to leave hurriedly
cut poles for a corral and put a couple of horses in it so we could skip pretty fast — Bruce Siberts
a warrant of arrest … was never served because the person skipped out — Erle Stanley Gardner
especially after getting funds by fraud or dishonest means
the teller skipped with the till
or to avoid paying a debt
guests who skip on their bills — Horace Sutton
d. : to move erratically or at random
skipping through the country from one town to another
e. : to discuss or investigate quickly : skim
bought the paper, calmly skipped through the interview — H.Ledig-Rowohlt
2.
a. : to pass over or omit a topic, section, or line : move from one point to another by omitting or disregarding the intervals
you may skip through a book, reading only those passages here and there which concern you — L.R.McColvin
a little bored by the passage … he skips over it — Bernard De Voto
the biography skips from his infancy to his graduation from law school
b. : to pass from one grade in school to the next but one without going through the intermediate grade
c. : to leave out a step in a progression or series
his heart skipped in terror
specifically : misfire 1 — used of an internal combustion engine
d. : jump vi 3a(5)
transitive verb
1.
a. : to pass over without notice, mention, or attention : omit in reading, investigation, or discussion
to skip the old guard … two writers with definite talent must be noted — Richard Plant
the scientists should skip that part of the book — London Calling
it skips and dodges all the real questions — A.H.Vandenberg b. 1907
b. : to pass over (a step or stage in development or time)
when an adjustment for the superior child is attempted, it sometimes takes the form of skipping a grade — J.D.Russell & C.H.Judd
the festival concerts skip a day — Claudia Cassidy
: fail to participate in or do (a normal or regular function)
the president skipped his regular Thursday press conference — Newsweek
the three of us skipped chow and lit for town — Len Zinberg
c. : to pass over or by (a point, space, or area)
separate related groups of paragraphs by skipping four blank lines — W.R.Parker
they plan to skip the larger cities on their trip
d. : to pass by or leave out (a step in a progression or series)
skips every third line
makes the strongest pulse beat faster and the weakest to skip many beats — L.P.Stryker
the tune skips a note
e. : to fail or neglect to take, accept, order, or give
if I've only stayed overnight and he has done nothing for me, I skip the tip — Richard Joseph
2.
a. : to cause to skip
parents want their daughter or son … skipped to second grade the day he enters school — Caroline Tryon
looking for flat stones to skip in the sea — Tomorrow
b. : to drop (a bomb) in skip bombing
skipped heavy bombs into their railroad-tunnel lairs — F.G.Vosburgh
3. : to leap over lightly and with agility
skipped the hedge and the wall
4.
a. : to depart from quickly and secretly especially under suspicion or after a misdemeanor
built up a big load of debts, then skipped town with all his merchandise — J.P.Blank
b. : to stay away from without permission
skip school
skipped the staff meeting again
•
- skip bail
- skip rope
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English skippe, from skippen, v.
1. : an act or instance of skipping: as
a. : a light blithe bounding step
the skip of the lamb and the caper of the kid — Douglas Kennedy
b. : a gait composed of alternating hops and steps
c. : a dance step consisting of a hop taking off and landing on the same foot with the free foot raised slightly in front or back
2.
a. : a deliberate or accidental passing over or omission
read the book without a skip
specifically : a melodic musical progression from one note to another at an interval greater than one scale step
b. : something skipped or to be skipped: as
(1) : a small isolated spot or area left unintentionally when painting
(2) : a depression in the surface of a board missed by the planer or finisher
c. : a small spot in planted ground where a crop fails to establish itself
the seeder left many skips
d. : skip straight
3.
a.
[short for skipkennel ]
: footman , lackey — compare scout 4
b. : a debtor who attempts to avoid paying by moving away without leaving a forwarding address
III. noun
( -s )
Etymology: alteration of skep
1.
a. : skep
b. : a basket, bucket, or open car mounted on wheels, rails, or vertical shafts for carrying men and materials (as in mining, quarrying, or manufacturing) : gunboat 2
c. : the container on a concrete mixer that receives the charge of aggregate and cement and is hoisted to discharge these materials into the drum
2. : a slab of coal cut from a pillar or breast
3. skips plural : thin brown papers of a grade suitable for lining containers (as for textiles)
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: short for skipper
1. : the captain of a side in a game (as curling or lawn bowling) who advises his men as to the play and controls the action
2. : skipper
V. transitive verb
( skipped ; skipped ; skipping ; skips )
: to act as skipper of (a curling or lawn bowling team)