sled
Americannoun
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a small vehicle consisting of a platform mounted on runners for use in traveling over snow or ice.
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a sledge.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have sleddedperfect
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has sleddedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been sleddingperfect progressive
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is sleddingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am sleddingprogressive 1st person singular
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sledssingular 3rd person
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are sleddingprogressive
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has been sleddingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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sleddingparticiple
Past
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had sleddedperfect
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were sleddingprogressive plural
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was sleddingprogressive singular
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had been sleddingperfect progressive
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sleddedparticiple
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sleddedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of sled
1350–1400; Middle English sledde < Middle Dutch; akin to German Schlitten sled, sleigh; cf. slide
Explanation
If you want to slide down a snowy hill, hop on a sled! A sled can be simple and plastic, or it can be more complicated, with wood and metal runners, like the kind that huskies pull across the tundra. Mush! Sleds sit on runners made to glide over an icy or snowy surface. Large sleds can seat several riders and are pulled by one or more horses, while dog sleds pull one or two people and are usually pulled by several dogs. The sled you get out of the garage in the winter is made of plastic, wood, or metal, and it's meant to slide fast downhill. In the U.K., the word for a sled is sledge.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He filed a lawsuit in December 2021 that asked USA Bobsled/Skeleton to implement a medical monitoring system to identify and treat sledders with sled head symptoms.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 23, 2026
The actor added that he imagined turning the fictional home into a “movie fun house” where people could sled down the stairs just like Kevin does in the movie.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026
“I have to sit still and count the curves until we reach the finish line, when I have to pull the brakes. I’m responsible that the sled won’t crash into something.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 16, 2026
But he did not necessarily expect to be pushing a sled at another Winter Olympics.
From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026
When I realized what he was doing, I stopped and fed and rested the team, sat on the sled and thought about what I was doing wrong.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
