Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

on the skids

Idioms  

  1. In the process of decline or ruin, as in If she quit now, her career would be on the skids. The skids here are runners such as those on a sled, enabling one to go downhill quickly. [c. 1920]

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.

But with his memory on the skids, how long can that last?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026

Blake was convinced that art had been on the skids since the mid-16th century, when worldly Titian and the Venetian painters rose to prominence, so he set about trying to put things right.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 12, 2023

The nation's economy has been on the skids for a long time and it has one of the highest per capita debts in Latin America.

From Salon • Jan. 2, 2023

Musk’s stated rationale for putting the deal on the skids, to whatever extent he can do that, is equally farcical.

From Slate • Jul. 7, 2022

As they approached the tractor the noise suddenly increased, and its wheels spun faster, grinding on the skids.

From Prescott of Saskatchewan by Dunton, W. Herbert

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.