1 B1 idiomatic informal
To stay away from school or work without a legitimate excuse; to play truant.
"He skived off school on Friday afternoon to go to the football match."
inseparable
skive off
B2 informal inseparable intransitive
To avoid work or school by staying away without a valid reason; to play truant.
In plain English
To stay away from school or work when you should be there, just because you don't feel like going.
What does "skive off" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic informal
To avoid doing a specific task or duty at work by making excuses or disappearing.
"Every time there was cleaning to be done, she would skive off to make tea."
inseparable
Usage tip
Primarily British English. Very common in informal speech among British teenagers and adults. Can also be used transitively: 'skive off a lesson'. The noun 'skiver' refers to a person who regularly skives.
Words that pair with "skive off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
school work lesson class afternoon training
How to conjugate "skive off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
skive off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
skives off
he/she/it
Past simple
skived off
yesterday
Past participle
skived off
have + pp
-ing form
skiving off
continuous
Hear "skive off" in the wild
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