VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

skipjack

noun·Advanced

Last updated

UK/ˈskɪpdʒæk/
US/ˈskɪpˌdʒæk/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable or uncountable

    A small, fast tuna with dark stripes along its belly, caught in large numbers for canning.

    Grammar: Countable for the fish: a skipjack. Uncountable as food: canned skipjack.

    Patterns

    • skipjack tuna
    • canned skipjack

    Most canned tuna in this store is skipjack.

    A school of skipjack followed the fishing boat.

    Skipjack is cheaper than bluefin tuna.

  2. nouncountableAmericanspecialist

    A type of shallow-hulled sailboat once used for oyster fishing in Chesapeake Bay.

    Grammar: Countable: several skipjacks.

    Patterns

    • sail a skipjack

    The last working skipjacks still dredge for oysters in Maryland.

    A restored skipjack carried tourists around the harbor.

Word forms

pluralskipjacks

Common combinations

skipjack tuna
Skipjack tuna is the most commonly canned variety.
catch skipjack
Fleets catch skipjack across the tropical Pacific.
canned skipjack
I added canned skipjack to the salad.
school of skipjack
A school of skipjack broke the surface.

Synonyms and how they differ

bonito
Bonito is a related but different fish, and the name is sometimes used loosely for skipjack.
tuna
Tuna is the wider group, while skipjack names one specific, smaller kind.
mackerel
Mackerel is a related family of fish, though it is not a tuna like the skipjack.

Word family

skip verb
to jump lightly
jack noun
a name used for several kinds of fish
tuna noun
a large ocean fish related to skipjack

Commonly confused: skipjack or jackfish?

skipjack vs jackfish

Jackfish is another name for some pike or jack species, not for tuna.

Practice

The label on the can says 'skipjack'. What are you probably eating?

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “skipjack”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words