skirmish

Definition of Skirmish in English :

1. brush, clash, encounter, skirmish

a minor short-term fight

2. skirmish

engage in a skirmish

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Skirmish

noun

1.

a minor short-lived military engagement

2.

any brisk clash or encounter, usually of a minor nature

verb

3. (intransitive; often foll by with)

to engage in a skirmish

noun

1.

a brief fight or encounter between small groups, usually an incident of a battle

2.

any slight, unimportant conflict; brush

verb intransitive

3.

to take part in a skirmish

n.

1. A minor battle in war, as one between small forces or between large forces avoiding direct conflict.

2. A minor or preliminary conflict or dispute: a skirmish over the rules before the debate began.

intr.v. skir·mished, skir·mish·ing, skir·mish·es

To engage in a minor battle or dispute.