skirmish

IPA: skˈɝmɪʃ

(military) A brief battle between small groups, usually part of a longer or larger battle or war.
(figuratively, by extension) Any minor dispute.
A type of outdoor military style game using paintball or similar weapons.

Examples of "skirmish" in Sentences

I143 Inf.Oct. 8, '623killed in skirmish Shenandoah Val.,
The ensuing skirmish is short and sharp but relatively harmless.
This skirmish is the first which has taken place on the soil of this State.
Then there is the longer term skirmish over funding for the next fiscal year.
Any short-term skirmish for influence in Afghanistan will always be won by Pakistan.
The main skirmish between French and Indians I know of in that era occurred upriver, at Natchez.
Interesting use of the word skirmish while troops are fighting this is what's going on in Washington as well.
For me, that they are weapons of questionable efficacy in this ideological skirmish is the mark of their most indispensable value.
This skirmish is exactly similar to the battles of the Homeric warriors, among whom, in the flight of one, the pursuit by another, and the dialogue held between them, there is vividly represented the style of ancient warfare.