Synonyms for skirmish

Most common

battle · combat · encounter · clash

All synonyms

Noun

Definitions

1. n. 1

   A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war.

Related words

Other spellings

scirmish

Forms

Plural

skirmishes → battles, encounters, actions, fights…

Choose the right word

Example sentences

• battle Hitler and his allies had won battle after battle.
• combat There is nothing like reality to combat illusions.
• encounter The story of their encounter is somewhat humorous.
• clash Every now and then they clash over their differences.

Popularity over time

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters

fray¹

5 letters

fight¹, brush¹, clash¹, scrap¹, broil¹

6 letters

action², battle², combat²

7 letters

quarrel²

8 letters

conflict²

9 letters

encounter³, scrimmage²

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (action² = 2 syllables).

In other languages

Français

escarmouche

Italiano

scaramuccia

Español

escaramuza

Deutsch

Scharmützel

Català

escaramussa