figure skating

American  

noun

1. ice skating in which the skater traces intricate patterns on the ice.

2. a type of ice skating developed from this, emphasizing jumps, spins, and other movements that combine athletic skills and dance techniques.

3. a competitive sport in which the skater is required to execute school figures and to perform one or more original programs of difficult jumps, spins, etc., to a musical setting.

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figure skating British  

noun

1. ice skating in which the skater traces outlines of selected patterns

2. the whole art of skating, as distinct from skating at speed

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Other Word Forms

• figure skater
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of figure skating

First recorded in 1865–70

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

figure skating

Months after becoming the first U.S. woman to win Olympic gold in figure skating since 2002, Alysa Liu announced she won’t compete during the 2026-2027 season.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

At Beijing 2022, teen phenom Kamila Valieva helped Russia secure the team figure skating title, one of the Russian athletes who passed the vetting process under the ban.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

The 2027 figure skating, short track and speed skating world championships will be hosted by Finland, South Korea and China, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

Georgia earned their first Winter Olympic medal with silver in pairs figure skating, while Spain collected their first gold medal for 54 years in the men's ski mountaineering.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

I suppose you'll give up this automobile business now, and go back and do some fancy figure skating on Broadway.

From John Marsh's Millions by Arthur Hornblow

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