skirt
- Top 3000
Sense 1
- noun
- A1
A piece of clothing for the lower body that hangs from the waist and is open at the bottom, worn mostly by women and girls.
The wind lifted her skirt as she crossed the bridge.
My skirt got caught on the bicycle chain again.
School rules say the skirt must reach below the knee.
Common collocations: a short skirt · a long skirt · a pleated skirt · a denim skirt · wear a skirt
Part of: Clothes
Sense 2 · less common
- verb
- C1
To go along the outer edge of a place instead of through the middle of it.
The path skirts the lake and then climbs into the hills.
We skirted the crowded market and reached the station faster.
A low wall skirts the whole garden on three sides.
Common collocations: skirt the lake · skirt the edge · skirt the town · skirt the coast
Part of: Directions
Sense 3 · less common
- verb
- C1
To avoid talking about or dealing with a difficult subject.
Stop skirting around the question and tell me the truth.
He skirted the issue of money throughout the whole meeting.
Her answer neatly skirted everything we really wanted to know.
Common collocations: skirt around the issue · skirt the question · skirt the subject · skirt around the problem
Part of: Talking to people, Speaking