skort: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowInformal, Fashion/Trade, Sport
Quick answer
What does “skort” mean?
A pair of shorts with a fabric panel across the front to give the appearance of a skirt.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A pair of shorts with a fabric panel across the front to give the appearance of a skirt.
A sporty or casual garment primarily for women and girls, combining the convenience and modesty of shorts with the aesthetic of a skirt. Often used in tennis, golf, and casual wear.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
The term is used and understood in both varieties. The garment is equally common. No significant dialectal difference in usage.
Connotations
Connotes practicality, sportiness, and modesty. In fashion contexts, it can be seen as either functional or a retro style.
Frequency
Low frequency in general discourse, but common in contexts of women's sportswear, school uniforms, and summer fashion.
Grammar
How to Use “skort” in a Sentence
NounWear + [skort]Have on + [skort]Dressed in + [skort]Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in retail, fashion manufacturing, and marketing contexts.
Academic
Rare, potentially in studies of fashion history, sportswear, or linguistics (portmanteau words).
Everyday
Used when describing specific clothing items, often for sports or school uniforms.
Technical
Used in textile and garment design specifications.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “skort”
- Spelling: 'scort', 'skirtort', 'skhort'. Using it to refer to a very short skirt (a mini-skirt) rather than a hybrid garment.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily yes, in modern Western fashion. The term is strongly gendered female. Similar garments for men in sports like cricket exist but are not typically marketed as 'skorts'.
Culottes are wide-legged trousers that hang like a skirt. A skort is specifically shorts with a fabric overlay (often just at the front) designed to look like a skirt from the outside. Skorts are generally shorter and more casual/sporty.
It is a standard English word, but its register is informal or trade-specific. It is found in dictionaries as a blend of 'skirt' and 'shorts'. It originated as a trademark but is now generic.
Common contexts include playing sports (tennis, golf, hiking), as part of a school uniform, or as casual summer wear where one wants the look of a skirt but the modesty and practicality of shorts.
A pair of shorts with a fabric panel across the front to give the appearance of a skirt.
Skort: in British English it is pronounced /skɔːt/, and in American English it is pronounced /skɔːrt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the 'SKI' from skirt and the 'ORT' from shorts: a SKIRT that's shORT is a SKORT.
Conceptual Metaphor
FUSION/HYBRID: The merging of two distinct garment categories into one functional item.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary defining feature of a skort?