skate

[ skeyt ]

/ skeɪt /

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See synonyms for: skate / skating on Thesaurus.com

noun

ice skate (def. 1).

roller skate.

the blade of an ice skate.

a skid on a lifeboat to facilitate launching from a listing ship.

verb (used without object), skat·ed, skat·ing.

to glide or propel oneself over ice, the ground, etc., on skates.

to glide or slide smoothly along.

Slang. to shirk one's duty; loaf.

(of the tone arm on a record player) to swing toward the spindle while a record is playing.

verb (used with object), skat·ed, skat·ing.

to slide (a flat) across the floor of a stage.

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Idioms about skate

get / put one's skates on, British Informal. to make haste.

skate on thin ice, to be or place oneself in a risky or delicate situation: Taking a public stand on the question would be skating on thin ice.

Origin of skate

First recorded in 1640–50; originally plural scates, from Dutch schaats (singular) “skate,” Middle Dutch schaetse “stilt” (compare Medieval Latin scatia ), of unknown origin

OTHER WORDS FROM skate

skate·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby skate

skanky-ho, Skara Brae, skarn, Skase, skat, skate, skateboard, skateboarding, skatemobile, skate over, skatepark

Other definitions for skate (2 of 3)

skate²

[ skeyt ]

/ skeɪt /

noun, plural (especially collectively) skate, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) skates.

any of numerous rays of the family Rajidae having paired electric organs within a long, fleshy tail and producing a distinctive egg case (a mermaid's purse): a widespread group of more than 570 species, the largest being Beringraja binoculata(big skate ) of Pacific coastal waters from Alaska to Baja California, known to exceed 7.5 feet (2.3 meters) in length.

Origin of skate

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English scate, from Old Norse skata

Other definitions for skate (3 of 3)

skate³

[ skeyt ]

/ skeɪt /

noun Slang.

a person; fellow: He's a good skate.

a contemptible person.

an inferior, decrepit horse; nag.

Origin of skate

First recorded in 1890–95; perhaps special use of skate²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use skate in a sentence

Yoga helped my sore muscles recover, and watching skate videos kept me inspired.
I’m an Adult Learning to Skateboard. Let Me Explain.|jversteegh|July 29, 2021|Outside Online
I can’t even put words to the feeling of going to a skate park and just being one person.
‘I Couldn’t Keep Putting Myself on Hold.’ In Missing Out on the Tokyo Olympics, Skateboarder Leo Baker Found Himself|Leo Baker|July 15, 2021|Time
I also like to roller skate, ride scooters, and ride my bike on my driveway and in the park.
'A Year Full of Emotions.' What Kids Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic|Allison Singer|June 12, 2021|Time
Oshie missed the team’s morning skate Wednesday for undisclosed reasons, but he slotted in with no apparent minute restrictions.
Bruins seize upon Capitals’ gaffe behind the net, win Game 3 in double overtime|Samantha Pell|May 20, 2021|Washington Post

The pandemic brought a flood of new kids to the skate park, including the Gilbert boys, and demand for lessons more than doubled, he says.
‘The pandemic trade-off’: Some parents are reassessing which kids’ activities feel safe|Hilary Potkewitz|April 16, 2021|Washington Post
Yeah, he wanted to skate and had never skated before, so I taught him when he was 58.
Putin’s Hockey Pal Tells All: Slava Fetisov on ‘Red Army,’ Soviet Nostalgia, and What Drives Putin|Marlow Stern|October 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I also figure-skated competitively for about 10 years—I got to figure-skate in the show during the pageant!
‘Orange Is the New Black’ Star Uzo Aduba on Her Journey From Track Phenom to Crazy Eyes|Marlow Stern|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We'd skate and walk over the Mile Road and skate and walk over the railroad and skate some more.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
My sister Edna took one skate and I took the other, and I was so small that I put I it on right over my shoe.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Next he laced on first the right skate, with a pad of cotton under the tongue, and then the left.
Gordie Howe Hockey’s Greatest War Horse|W.C. Heinz|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I bet a feller can skate in the streeton the sidewalkalmost anywhere this morning, declared Chet, with enthusiasm.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
The one shown was pivoted to a roller-skate wheel which in turn was fastened to a metal standard.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
The beam was attached to the skate wheel with two small bolts which were insulated and carried two brushes as commutator contacts.
The Boy Mechanic, Book 2|Various
The laugh is still, the noise has fled, and the first sound of the skate on the black ice seems almost a desecration.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies
The slope of the bank must be descended sideways—avoid the stones concealed by snow, for they will destroy the edge of the skate.
The Hills and the Vale|Richard Jefferies

British Dictionary definitions for skate (1 of 3)

skate¹

/ (skeɪt) /

noun

See roller skate, ice skate

the steel blade or runner of an ice skate

such a blade fitted with straps for fastening to a shoe

a current collector on an electric railway train that collects its current from a third railCompare bow collector

get one's skates on to hurry

verb (intr)

to glide swiftly on skates

to slide smoothly over a surface

skate on thin ice to place oneself in a dangerous or delicate situation

Word Origin for skate

C17: via Dutch from Old French éschasse stilt, probably of Germanic origin

British Dictionary definitions for skate (2 of 3)

skate²

/ (skeɪt) /

noun plural skate or skates

any large ray of the family Rajidae, of temperate and tropical seas, having flat pectoral fins continuous with the head, two dorsal fins, a short spineless tail, and a long snout

Word Origin for skate

C14: from Old Norse skata

British Dictionary definitions for skate (3 of 3)

skate³

/ (skeɪt) /

noun

US slang a person; fellow

Word Origin for skate

from Scottish and northern English dialect skate, a derogatory term of uncertain origin

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 skate

skate

In addition to the idiom beginning with skate

skate over

also see:

cheap skate
on thin ice, skate

skate

Idioms about skate

Origin of skate

OTHER WORDS FROM skate

Words nearby skate

Other definitions for skate (2 of 3)

Origin of skate

Other definitions for skate (3 of 3)

Origin of skate

Words related to skate

How to use skate in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for skate (1 of 3)

Word Origin for skate

British Dictionary definitions for skate (2 of 3)

Word Origin for skate

British Dictionary definitions for skate (3 of 3)

Word Origin for skate

Other Idioms and Phrases with skate