skid
a plank, bar, log, or the like, especially one of a pair, on which something heavy may be slid or rolled along.
one of a number of such logs or timbers forming a skidway.
a low mobile platform on which goods are placed for ease in handling, moving, etc.: Compare stillage.
a plank, log, low platform, etc., on or by which a load is supported.
Nautical.
any of a number of parallel beams or timbers fixed in place as a raised support for boats, spars, etc.
any of a number of timbers on which a heavy object is placed to be shoved along on rollers or slid.
an arrangement of planks serving as a runway for cargo.
an arrangement of planks serving as a fender to protect the side of a vessel during transfer of cargo.
sidewise motion of a vessel; leeway.
a shoe or some other choke or drag for preventing the wheel of a vehicle from rotating, as when descending a hill.
a runner on the under part of some airplanes, enabling the aircraft to slide along the ground when landing.
an unexpected or uncontrollable sliding on a smooth surface by something not rotating, especially an oblique or wavering veering by a vehicle or its tires: The bus went into a skid on the icy road.
to place on or slide along a skid.
to check the motion of with a skid: She skidded her skates to a stop.
to cause to go into a skid: to skid the car into a turn.
to slide along without rotating, as a wheel to which a brake has been applied.
to slip or slide sideways, as an automobile in turning a corner rapidly.
to slide forward under the force of momentum after forward motion has been braked, as a vehicle.
(of an airplane when not banked sufficiently) to slide sideways, away from the center of the curve described in turning.: Compare slip1 (def. 15).
Idioms about skid
on the skids, Slang. in the process of decline or deterioration: His career is on the skids.
put the skids under, Informal. to bring about the downfall of; cause to fail: Lack of money put the skids under our plans.
the skids, Informal. the downward path to ruin, poverty, or depravity: After losing his job he began to hit the skids.
Origin of skid
1Other words for skid
Other words from skid
- skid·ding·ly, adverb
- an·ti·skid·ding, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use skid in a sentence
Only seven other NFL teams can say the same, though Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Buffalo all have opportunities to end their skids this weekend.
Washington’s last playoff win came 15 years ago. That felt like a beginning, too. | Barry Svrluga | January 7, 2021 | Washington PostAnother option is a vehicle like Can-Am’s Defender Pro XT HD 10, which rolls off the showroom floor with a locking front differential, nearly 11 inches of suspension travel, 13 inches of ground clearance, full skid plates, and a 4,500-pound winch.
The city had its own skid row in East Village and more tents popped up elsewhere nearby.
Faulconer Hopes His Action on Homelessness Will Overshadow His Failure | Lisa Halverstadt | December 7, 2020 | Voice of San DiegoTheir strong defense will look to slow down Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and the rest of the Titans, who broke out of their recent skid with an impressive comeback of their own on the road against the Ravens.
It’s Hard To Measure NFL Matchups, So We Built A Better Metric | Josh Hermsmeyer | November 25, 2020 | FiveThirtyEightThe pharmaceutical and biomedical industries influence doctors’ decision-making, actively bias major product research, pay key players to grease the skids for expanded sales, and ignore or obscure the harm some of their medicines and devices can do.
My cancer might be back—and I wonder if unnecessary radiation caused it in the first place | jakemeth | September 22, 2020 | Fortune
How did she film with live bullets flying and teargas canisters skidding across the pavement?
How Jehane Noujaim Made The Year’s Most Dangerous Documentary ‘The Square’ | Andrew Romano | February 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe move was supposedly for safety reasons, to force more skidding and slower turns.
The Can't-Miss Sochi Showdown: Bode Miller And Ted Ligety | Jake Bright | February 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTKeeping sharp lookout for skidding cars and unexpected pedestrians and street-car crossings and the like fully occupied Bud.
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerThis "skidding" is done by a powerful, steam-driven stationary donkey-engine, which is fitted up with a long cable and a drum.
Our National Forests | Richard H. Douai BoerkerMy right scull was for ever skidding on mud or weeds, and the backward suck of shoal water clogged our progress.
The Riddle of the Sands | Erskine ChildersJason had a vanishing glimpse of the open-mouthed guards, then they were skidding around the corner of a building.
Deathworld | Harry HarrisonWalter could but cling to the swaying, jouncing, skidding sled, and let the dogs go where they would.
South from Hudson Bay | E. C. [Ethel Claire] Brill
British Dictionary definitions for skid
/ (skɪd) /
to cause (a vehicle) to slide sideways or (of a vehicle) to slide sideways while in motion, esp out of control
(intr) to slide without revolving, as the wheel of a moving vehicle after sudden braking
(tr) US and Canadian to put or haul on a skid, esp along a special track
to cause (an aircraft) to slide sideways away from the centre of a turn when insufficiently banked or (of an aircraft) to slide in this manner
an instance of sliding, esp sideways
mainly US and Canadian one of the logs forming a skidway
a support on which heavy objects may be stored and moved short distances by sliding
a shoe or drag used to apply pressure to the metal rim of a wheel to act as a brake
on the skids in decline or about to fail
Origin of skid
1Derived forms of skid
- skiddy, adjective
Collins 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 skid
In addition to the idiom beginning with skid
- skid row
also see:
- on the skids
- put the skids on
- put the skids under
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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