What does skip mean?
Skip is a versatile English word whose basic sense is to move in quick, light jumps. As a verb, it also means to pass over or omit something, to avoid attending or participating, or to fail intermittently, as when a player skips a pass or a disc skips a damaged track. These extensions make it useful in everyday conversation, education, media, computing, and mechanics. The noun denotes an act of jumping, a gap in a sequence, or an omitted item. In expressions such as skip the queue, skip a class, and skip the details, the word suggests deliberate movement past something, often without notice or responsibility. The movement sense is neutral and physical; the omission senses can carry a slightly casual or dismissive tone, especially when used of duties. Its flexibility makes skip useful beyond literal jumping: it names both a small physical leap and a deliberate break in an otherwise continuous sequence.
An act of jumping lightly; a gap, interruption, or omitted item in a sequence.
"The pup bounded over the puddle with a cheerful skip."
The gap or omission sense is especially common in technical and editorial contexts.
To move in light jumps; to pass over, omit, or avoid something; or to advance intermittently or malfunction.
"We skipped the traffic by taking the coastal road."
The verb is neutral in most contexts, though it can sound evasive or irresponsible when someone skips an obligation.
The plural is used for individual jumps, omitted items, or interruptions in a sequence.
"There were several skips in the archived recording."
Skip leads a double life: it can be a little leap across a puddle or the disappearance of an entire meeting from your calendar.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skip come from?
The English verb descends from Middle English skippen, recorded with meanings such as moving lightly and passing over or escaping. Its exact medieval source is uncertain, although Scandinavian influence has often been proposed. The noun developed from the verb, and later uses extended the word to omissions, gaps, and intermittent malfunction.
Related word forms
How skip is actually used
The omission senses are standard in formal and informal English, although describing skipped work, classes, or obligations can sound casual or dismissive. In technical contexts, the word precisely describes an instruction, sequence, or mechanism advancing or functioning intermittently.
Easily confused with skip
To skim is to read quickly or take off a surface layer; to skip is to pass over or omit the material entirely.