The AI-powered English dictionary
plural skirmishes
(military) A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war. quotations
On 2 March, Chinese border guards with the help of regular PLA forces skillfully ambushed Strelnikov's unit on the ice near Chen Pao, killing him and 30 Soviets in the subsequent skirmish.
1970 April 28, “Chen Pao Battle and Subsequent Threat Campaign”, in The Evolution of Soviet Policy in the Sino-Soviet Border Dispute, Directorate of Intelligence, published 2007, page 34
(figuratively, by extension) Any minor dispute. examples
A type of outdoor military style game using paintball or similar weapons. examples
third-person singular simple present skirmishes, present participle skirmishing, simple past and past participle skirmished
To engage in a minor battle or dispute. quotations examples
Other historians might also remark that […] they have persisted all this time, constantly wrestling and skirmishing and yet never destroying themselves.
2019, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Children of Ruin, Macmillan, page 376