skate
1the blade of an ice skate.
a skid on a lifeboat to facilitate launching from a listing ship.
to glide or propel oneself over ice, the ground, etc., on skates.
to glide or slide smoothly along.
Slang. to shirk one's duty; loaf.
(of the tone arm on a record player) to swing toward the spindle while a record is playing.
to slide (a flat) across the floor of a stage.
Idioms about skate
get / put one's skates on, British Informal. to make haste.
skate on thin ice, to be or place oneself in a risky or delicate situation: Taking a public stand on the question would be skating on thin ice.
Origin of skate
1Other words from skate
- skate·a·ble, adjective
Other definitions for skate (2 of 3)
any of numerous rays of the family Rajidae having paired electric organs within a long, fleshy tail and producing a distinctive egg case (a mermaid's purse): a widespread group of more than 570 species, the largest being Beringraja binoculata(big skate ) of Pacific coastal waters from Alaska to Baja California, known to exceed 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) in length.
Origin of skate
2Other definitions for skate (3 of 3)
Origin of skate
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use skate in a sentence
Other times a chorus on roller skates sings about a toy train set.
If we came home for lunch my mother would have newspapers down on the floor in the kitchen so we could keep our skates on.
Do you remember,” I said, “the first time you were ever on skates?
I remember diving into that bag, and there were four or five old pairs of skates in there and I grabbed a pair.
How old were you when you got the first pair of skates of your own?
But the sun was getting warmer and the icy street would soon be slushy and the skates would cut through.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage | Gertrude W. MorrisonAs soon as we had breakfasted, I got out my sled 'Dauntless,' and told Mary to wrap up, and bring her skates along.
The Nursery, January 1873, Vol. XIII. | VariousAt once all the boys got out their skates, and during their off hours they had great fun on the lake.
The Rover Boys on the Farm | Arthur M. Winfield (AKA Edward Stratemeyer)Daddy will see that he has a new suit for school, but wouldn't you like to send him hockey skates?
Sunny Boy in the Big City | Ramy Allison WhiteSunny Boy thought this a fine selection, and he and Mother went upstairs and chose a pair of skates.
Sunny Boy in the Big City | Ramy Allison White
British Dictionary definitions for skate (1 of 3)
/ (skeɪt) /
See roller skate, ice skate
the steel blade or runner of an ice skate
such a blade fitted with straps for fastening to a shoe
a current collector on an electric railway train that collects its current from a third rail: Compare bow collector
get one's skates on to hurry
to glide swiftly on skates
to slide smoothly over a surface
skate on thin ice to place oneself in a dangerous or delicate situation
Origin of skate
1British Dictionary definitions for skate (2 of 3)
/ (skeɪt) /
any large ray of the family Rajidae, of temperate and tropical seas, having flat pectoral fins continuous with the head, two dorsal fins, a short spineless tail, and a long snout
Origin of skate
2British Dictionary definitions for skate (3 of 3)
/ (skeɪt) /
US slang a person; fellow
Origin of skate
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with skate
In addition to the idiom beginning with skate
- skate over
also see:
- cheap skate
- on thin ice, skate
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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