Meaning & use
skipping school
Last updated
“skipping school” is a form of “skip school”.
Meanings
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Staying away from school without permission when you should be there.
Grammar: The -ing form of skip school, often the subject or used after was/were or caught.
Patterns
- caught skipping school
- skipping school to do something
He was caught skipping school and had to meet the principal.
Skipping school too often can lead to serious trouble.
They were skipping school to go to the beach.
phrasefixed phraseinformal
Missing a school day on purpose, usually in a secret or playful way.
Grammar: Often used with a reason: skipping school to play games.
Patterns
- skipping school to do something
Skipping school to watch the game was a bad idea.
She admitted skipping school twice last month.
Skipping school is not an option in our house.
Word forms
| base form | skip school |
|---|---|
| third person singular | skips school |
| past tense | skipped school |
Common combinations
- caught skipping school
- He was caught skipping school by a neighbor.
- punished for skipping school
- She was punished for skipping school.
- skipping school to
- Skipping school to meet friends is common among some teens.
- keep skipping school
- Students who keep skipping school may be reported.
- stop skipping school
- The counselor helped him stop skipping school.
Synonyms and how they differ
- playing truant
- Playing truant is the British expression and sounds a little more old-fashioned than skipping school.
- bunking off
- Bunking off is British slang that is also used for skipping work or lessons, so it is wider than skipping school.
- cutting class
- Cutting class means missing one lesson, not necessarily the whole school day.
- ditching
- Ditching is a casual American word that can apply to school, a person or a plan.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: skipping school or skipping rope?
skipping school vs skipping rope
Skipping rope is jumping over a rope as exercise, which is a different meaning of skip.
Practice
The principal called his parents because he had been ____ for three days.
Choose one answer.
Skipping school is the set phrase for staying away from school without permission. Skipping rope is an exercise, and the other options are not natural phrases.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “skipping school”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.