Meaning & use
skinny-dipping
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Meaning
noununcountableinformal
The activity of swimming without any clothes on, usually in a lake, river or private pool.
Grammar: Uncountable; usually with go: go skinny-dipping.
Patterns
- go skinny-dipping
The friends went skinny-dipping in the lake after midnight.
Skinny-dipping is a classic summer camp story.
They were caught skinny-dipping by the park ranger.
Common combinations
- go skinny-dipping
- We decided to go skinny-dipping at sunrise.
- caught skinny-dipping
- Two teenagers were caught skinny-dipping in the reservoir.
- midnight skinny-dipping
- Midnight skinny-dipping is risky in cold water.
- skinny-dipping party
- The farm hosted a skinny-dipping party for adults.
- go skinny-dipping in the sea
- They went skinny-dipping in the sea on a deserted beach.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nude swimming
- Nude swimming is the neutral, descriptive term, while skinny-dipping sounds playful and spontaneous.
- bathing naked
- Bathing naked sounds more formal and suggests washing, whereas skinny-dipping implies fun.
Word family
- skinny-dip verb
- to swim naked
- skinny-dipper noun
- a person who swims naked
- skinny adjective
- very thin
Commonly confused: skinny-dipping or wading?
skinny-dipping vs wading
Wading means walking through shallow water with clothes on or off; skinny-dipping means swimming without clothes.
Practice
Late on a warm night, the campers sneaked off to go ___ in the lake.
Choose one answer.
Skinny-dipping means swimming naked, which fits sneaking off at night. Water-skiing and rowing require equipment and a boat.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “skinny-dipping”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.