skirmisher
- noun
- /ˈskɜːrmɪʃər/
- "Take your best shots," he told the skirmishers.
- skirmishers and cavalry
- skirmishers forward
- deploy skirmishers
Examples
-
The Reds fought as a legion; the Lithuanians, in green uniforms, fought as skirmishers.
Fiction book (1991) -
Lieutenant, take 12 men across as skirmishers.
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The colonel went on, "Company I, forward to support the skirmishers."
Fiction book (1992) -
Others used them as scouts or skirmishers, but beyond that their use was limited.
-
Whatever color they were, the Federal skirmishers had the discipline to hold their fire.
Fiction book (1992) -
The skirmishers paused to check, which took their attention off him for a moment.
Fiction book (1992) -
No sooner had the thought run through Caudell's mind than the colonel said, "Skirmishers forward!"
Fiction book (1992) -
The Confederate skirmishers dashed back toward the breastworks.
Fiction book (1992) -
Federal skirmishers came first, trotting up the Brock Road to learn what lay ahead for their comrades.
Fiction book (1992) -
The general ordered the soldiers to act as skirmishers during the initial phase of the battle.
Synonyms
A person who serves in an army and fights for their country
A person who takes part in fighting, often a soldier in a war
A person who fights on foot or does basic work for a group
A soldier who fights on foot in the army
A person who stands outside a camp to watch for enemy movement
A person who fights in war or on military missions
A soldier at the side of a group who watches for enemy movement
How Combat-Involved
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word skirmisher comes from skirmish + -er, and skirmish is an old word for a quick, small fight. So a skirmisher is 'one who takes part in small, fast fights', often ahead of the main force.