skirmish

/ˈskɜrmɪʃ/
noun
  1. A brief, small-scale fight between small groups, often part of a larger battle.
    • The soldiers fought a skirmish near the river before the main battle.
    • Historians recorded a minor skirmish between the two patrols.
    • A skirmish broke out at the border, but it ended quickly.
  2. A short, often heated argument or disagreement.
    • A skirmish between the two politicians was caught on camera.
    • The meeting started with a skirmish over the budget.
    • They had a verbal skirmish about who should lead the project.
Antonyms
verb
  1. To engage in a brief, small-scale fight or conflict.
    • The scouts skirmished with the enemy troops at dawn.
    • Rebel forces skirmished with government soldiers near the village.
    • The two armies skirmished along the ridge for several hours.
  2. To engage in a short, often heated argument or dispute.
    • They skirmished briefly about the best way to solve the problem.
    • The lawyers skirmished over the wording of the contract.
    • The siblings skirmished over who would get the last piece of cake.
What does "skirmish" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean