skip
skip — noun
1. a very large metal box that a truck brings to your home or to a building site; y
a very large metal box that a truck brings to your home or to a building site; you fill it with unwanted things such as old furniture, bricks, or garden waste, and the truck takes it away when it is full.
The builders filled the skip with broken bricks and old plaster.
Nora hired a skip to get rid of garden waste from her old apple tree.
British usage: skip = hired waste container
A large skip sat outside the house while the kitchen was being renovated.
People sometimes dump old mattresses in the skip behind the supermarket at night.
- dumpster
American English term for the same container; 'dumpster' is a brand name that became generic in the US
- waste container
formal/general term, not specific to large metal boxes
用法筆記
This sense is mainly British English. In American English, the container is usually called a 'dumpster'.
常見錯誤
2. a single quick, light step where you lift one foot and hop briefly onto the othe
a single quick, light step where you lift one foot and hop briefly onto the other, used especially in dances or playful movement.
The dancer added a small skip to the end of each turn in the performance.
Kiran took a quick skip sideways to avoid stepping onto the muddy puddle.
skip + direction (sideways, backward, forward)
The music had a lively beat that made the audience move with little skips.
A skip followed by a bow was part of the traditional folk dance routine.
3. a way of moving forward that mixes steps and small hops, one after the other — t
a way of moving forward that mixes steps and small hops, one after the other — the kind of bouncy, playful walk that children often do when they are happy.
The little girl ran with a happy skip all the way to the playground.
Ananya had a skip in her gait after hearing the exciting news from her teacher.
skip in the/one's gait — fixed phrase
The friends walked home with skips and jumps, laughing loudly at their own silly jokes.
His cheerful skip made everyone smile during the otherwise boring walk to the station.
- stomp
heavy, noisy walking, the opposite of light skipping
用法筆記
Distinguish from DANCING STEP (noun sense 2): this sense describes a continuous gait or manner of moving, while sense 2 refers to a single dance step.
4. a person who leaves a place without telling anyone, especially to avoid paying m
a person who leaves a place without telling anyone, especially to avoid paying money they owe or to escape a legal problem.
The landlord discovered that his tenant was a skip who left without paying rent.
legal/financial context
The bank hired an investigator to track down the skip who fled with the loan.
Okafor was listed as a skip after he vanished without paying the money he owed.
When the police arrived at her apartment, the skip had already fled the country.
用法筆記
This sense is most common in legal and financial contexts, especially in the US. A 'skip tracer' is a professional who finds such people.
5. something that is left out or not done when it should have been included, or the
something that is left out or not done when it should have been included, or the act of leaving it out.
The report contained a skip in the data from the third quarter of last year.
Minji noticed a skip in the page numbers of the library book she was reading.
skip in + noun phrase — pattern for omissions
A skip in the recording made it impossible to follow what the speaker had said.
The editor found several skips in the reference list at the end of the article.
- omission
more formal; 'skip' is more informal and often suggests a gap in a sequence
- gap
a gap can be unintentional; 'skip' usually implies something was left out intentionally or not noticed
- missing part
neutral term, no implication of intention
- inclusion
the act of including something that might otherwise be left out
用法筆記
Often used in the phrase 'a skip in [something]' to indicate a gap or missing item in a sequence.
skip — verb
1. to decide not to do, have, or take part in something that you normally would do,
to decide not to do, have, or take part in something that you normally would do, either because you do not want to or because it is not needed.
Elena skipped breakfast and went straight to her first class of the day.
skip + meal (breakfast/lunch/dinner)
Liam skipped the last chapter of the book because he was too bored to continue.
We decided to skip the party and stay home watching old movies together instead.
Clara skipped a grade in math because she already knew all the material being taught.
The teacher told the students they could skip any questions that seemed too difficult.
- omit
more formal; 'omit' can be intentional or accidental, while 'skip' is usually intentional
- miss
'miss' is usually unintentional; 'skip' means you chose not to do it
- bypass
suggests finding a way around something rather than just omitting it
- give something a miss
informal British expression for deciding not to do something
文法句型
skip + noun phrase
skip + -ing verb
用法筆記
The object is typically a routine activity (a meal, a class, a step in a process) or a thing in a sequence (a chapter, a question). Does not take a to-infinitive (❌ 'I skipped to have breakfast').
常見錯誤
2. to move forward with quick, light steps where you take a small hop off one foot
to move forward with quick, light steps where you take a small hop off one foot and land on the other, a little like a happy dance walk.
The children skipped happily along the path on their way to the park.
skip + adverb (happily) + preposition phrase (along the path)
Yuki skipped down the hallway after hearing that the exam had been cancelled.
The little girl was skipping and singing on her way home from school that afternoon.
We watched the lambs skipping around the field in the early morning sunlight.
The dog skipped excitedly around its owner when the leash was picked up.
文法句型
skip + adverb/preposition phrase
常見錯誤
3. to jump over a rope that you or another person swings repeatedly under your feet
to jump over a rope that you or another person swings repeatedly under your feet and over your head, either as a children's game or as exercise.
The children were skipping rope in the playground during their lunch break.
skip + rope as fixed object
Noor skipped rope for twenty minutes every morning as part of her race training.
Ben and his sister took turns skipping while their mother turned the long rope.
Five-year-old Jia stood on the sunny playground and tried to skip rope for the very first time.
- jump rope
American English term for the same activity; 'jump rope' is a noun, while 'skip' can be a verb
文法句型
skip + rope
skip (no object)
用法筆記
When the activity is mentioned without specifying the rope, 'skip' can be used alone ('She loves to skip'). When the rope is mentioned, say 'skip rope' (not 'skip a/the rope').
常見錯誤
4. to leave a place secretly or in a hurry, usually to avoid a problem, a duty, or
to leave a place secretly or in a hurry, usually to avoid a problem, a duty, or someone you do not want to face.
The student skipped town before the landlord could ask for the unpaid rent.
skip + town/city/country — fixed pattern
Amara skipped the boring conference and caught an early flight home instead.
Some guests skipped out on their hotel bill during the middle of the night.
The cat skipped through the open window the moment no one was looking.
文法句型
skip + noun phrase (place)
skip out on + noun phrase
用法筆記
Often used with 'out on' (skip out on a debt/bill) or with place nouns like 'town', 'country'. Distinguish from sense 1 (NOT DO): sense 4 involves physical departure from a place; sense 1 involves choosing not to do an activity.
常見錯誤
5. to throw a flat, smooth stone at a low angle across the surface of water so that
to throw a flat, smooth stone at a low angle across the surface of water so that it bounces up off the water several times before sinking.
Wei tried to skip stones across the lake but none of them bounced.
skip + stones/rocks/pebbles + across/on + water
The old fisherman showed the children how to skip flat rocks on the river.
Diego skipped a smooth pebble seven times before it finally sank into the pond.
Mateo skipped a flat stone across the lake and watched it bounce four times before it disappeared.
文法句型
skip + noun phrase (stone/pebble/rock)
用法筆記
The object must be something flat, smooth, and light enough to bounce off water. The activity is also called 'stone skipping' or 'playing ducks and drakes' in British English.