What does skive mean?
To skive is to avoid work, study, or another responsibility, usually by taking time off or doing only the minimum necessary. The word has a strongly informal tone and can suggest laziness, carelessness, or deliberate evasion rather than a legitimate reason for being elsewhere. “Skive off” is a common phrasing: someone might skive off work, skive off school, or skive off a chore. The term is most familiar in British and Australian English, though it can also be understood elsewhere. It is especially useful when describing a repeated pattern of avoiding duties, because it conveys both the avoidance itself and the implication that the person does not regard the obligation seriously. In less formal contexts, it may simply mean to loaf or slack off.
verbTo avoid doing work or fulfilling an obligation, especially by taking time off or behaving as though the task does not need to be done. It is typically used informally and often means to shirk responsibility or loaf.
- To avoid or shirk work, a duty, or an obligation, especially by taking time off or doing the minimum required.
"He skived off work and spent the afternoon at the beach."
"Several employees skived work before the shipment was due."
"The whole class skived off the lesson and went to the playing fields."
If work seems suddenly less important than tea, you may be skiving.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skive come from?
The verb is attested in British English from the late nineteenth century. Its precise origin is uncertain, and no generally accepted derivation has displaced the uncertainty surrounding it. The later development of “skive off” helped establish the word's familiar modern meaning of avoiding work or responsibility.
Related word forms
How skive is actually used
Informal and sometimes mildly disapproving. In British and Australian English, “skive off” is especially common; plain “skive” is also used, particularly in British English.
Easily confused with skive
To skive is to avoid work or responsibility, whereas a skiver may be someone who avoids work or a cutting tool used in machine work.