skip

USAGE SUMMARY

The word 'skip' is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used as a verb meaning to jump, or to go over or omit something. It can also be used as a noun meaning a jump, a leap, or a move in a game or a race. Example sentence: We decided to skip the dessert course and just have coffee instead.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Travel

Film

Lifestyle

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Spall, after all, had to skip the 1996 festival after a diagnosis of leukaemia left him all but in his grave.

The Guardian - Film

He acknowledged and apologised for his administration's promotion of dumping cheap US rice on Haiti, thereby destroying Haitian rice production and forcing rice farmers to flee to the overcrowded cities. Buttonholed in a UN hallway, he claims he thought that Haitians would "get aid to skip agricultural development and go straight into an industrial era".

The Guardian - Opinion

Most of the reporters who travelled with Merkel to Jerusalem earlier in the week decided to skip London and leave the coverage to local correspondents.

The Guardian

Meanwhile the self-proclaimed rich can skip the queue and proceed up the red carpet to buy cardboard burgers for 600,000 forints (£1,560).

The Guardian

7. A functional skip navigation link has been added at the top of each page.

The Guardian

Instead of (unsuccessfully) keeping forest-adjacent communities at bay, the state would join hands with them and skip together into a jointly managed forest.

The Guardian

Next time, maybe we'll skip the educational tour.

The Guardian - Travel

Yes, Microsoft did skip from Windows 8 (or 8.1 to be precise) straight to Windows 10.

The Guardian - Tech

He chose to skip the premiere in favour of visiting a Syrian refugee camp instead.

The Guardian - Film

1/1-13 University Ave, Canberra 11am: Sculpture at the National Gallery of Australia By all means, take a quick tour of the gallery itself (the works by Pollock, Bacon and Hockney are stellar, and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art collection is, understandably, the best in the world), but save some time for the secluded sculpture garden, which most visitors skip over.

The Guardian - Travel

Shaw suggests that many officers take a laid-back approach to filing cases like Greene's – that they tend to skip marking any potential bias on police reports, because it is easier for cops to chalk up situations to "unfavorable neighborhoods" like the one in which Greene's body was found.

The Guardian - Opinion

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "skip" to indicate a deliberate choice to bypass something, not simply a lack of attention or awareness.

Common error

Avoid using "skip" when you mean to "skimp". "Skip" implies omitting something entirely, while "skimp" means to provide less of something than is needed or expected.

Linguistic Context

The word "skip" functions primarily as a verb, indicating the act of omitting, passing over, or moving lightly. As Ludwig AI exemplifies, it can describe disregarding content, as in "skip the first chapter", or avoiding an event, "skip the meeting".

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

41%

Lifestyle

14%

Travel

7%

Less common in

Sport

3%

Film

7%

Formal & Business

3%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the word "skip" is a versatile term that functions primarily as a verb, meaning to omit or move lightly. As Ludwig AI confirms, it is grammatically correct and widely used. It is frequently found in News & Media sources, as well as in Lifestyle and Travel content. When writing, it's important to differentiate "skip" from "skimp" to avoid confusion. Remember that you can "omit", "leave out" or "bypass" something. "Skip" is suitable for neutral registers and is a very common word overall.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

omit

Focuses specifically on the act of leaving something out.

leave out

Similar to omit, but implies a more intentional exclusion.

bypass

Suggests going around or avoiding something, often a step or procedure.

miss

Emphasizes the failure to include or attend something.

jump over

Implies rapidly moving past something, either literally or figuratively.

jump ahead

Suggests moving forward to a later point, omitting the steps in between.

disregard

Highlights the act of ignoring or paying no attention to something.

skimp on

Implies reducing the amount of something, often in a negative way.

play truant

Specifically refers to avoiding school or other obligations.

absent oneself

A more formal way of saying to not attend something.

FAQs

How can I use "skip" in a sentence?

You can use "skip" to mean to omit something, as in "I decided to "skip" the introduction of the book" or to move lightly, as in "The child began to "skip" down the path".

What can I say instead of "skip" when talking about omitting something?

Alternatives include "omit", "leave out", or "bypass", depending on the specific context.

What is the difference between "skip" and "skimp"?

"Skip" means to omit or leave out, while "skimp" means to be economical or frugal, often to the point of providing less than is needed. They are not interchangeable.

Is it correct to use "skip" to mean "not attend"?

Yes, it is perfectly acceptable to use "skip" to mean not to attend an event or class, such as saying "I'm going to "skip" the meeting today".