skateboard

American  

[skeyt-bawrd, -bohrd] / ˈskeɪtˌbɔrd, -ˌboʊrd /

noun

skateboards plural

1. a device for riding upon, usually while standing, consisting of a short, oblong piece of wood, plastic, fiberglass, or aluminum mounted on large roller-skate wheels, used on smooth surfaces and requiring better balance on the part of the rider than ordinary roller skates do.

   Skateboards were pretty “primitive” back in the sixties.

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verb (used without object)

skateboards, present (3rd person singular) skateboarded, past participle, past skateboarding present participle

1. to ride a skateboard.

   She skateboarded during her lunch break nearly every day.

skateboard British  

/ ˈskeɪtˌbɔːd /

noun

1. a narrow board mounted on roller-skate wheels, usually ridden while standing up

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verb

1. (intr) to ride on a skateboard

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• skateboarder
  noun
• skateboarding
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• skateboards
  plural

Participles

• skateboarding
  present
• skateboarded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• skateboard
  simple
• skateboards
  simple
• have skateboarded
  perfect
• has skateboarded
  perfect
• am skateboarding
  progressive
• are skateboarding
  progressive
• is skateboarding
  progressive
• have been skateboarding
  perfect progressive
• has been skateboarding
  perfect progressive

Past

• skateboarded
  simple
• had skateboarded
  perfect
• was skateboarding
  progressive
• were skateboarding
  progressive
• had been skateboarding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will skateboard
  simple
• will have skateboarded
  perfect
• will be skateboarding
  progressive
• will have been skateboarding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of skateboard

First recorded in 1960–65; skate ¹ + board

Explanation

A skateboard is a board with wheels on the bottom that you ride standing up. If you practice enough, you'll be able to do tricks on your skateboard, or at least ride down the block without falling off. When you ride your skateboard, you can say that you skateboard or skate. The sport or activity you do on a skateboard is skateboarding. The first skateboards, consisting of boxes or boards fitted with wheels from roller skates, appeared in the 1940s. The earliest skateboarders were surfers who wanted a way to practice even when they were on dry land—because of this, they were sometimes called "sidewalk surfers."

Example Sentences

In 1996, he spotted the land that would become his home while walking his dogs in upscale Carlsbad, the birthplace of skateboard legend Tony Hawk.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 16, 2026

The 18-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat he's been reflecting on how he's done so far, as well as hanging out with friends and learning to skateboard.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026

For 48 years, Kaplan rode a fiberglass skateboard.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 26, 2026

In 2016, Philadelphia razed another skateboard Mecca, known as Love Park.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

He’s sitting on the floor next to an overturned skateboard, rubbing his elbow, clearly post-wipeout.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott