skate
1 Americannoun
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the blade of an ice skate.
-
a skid on a lifeboat to facilitate launching from a listing ship.
verb (used without object)
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to glide or propel oneself over ice, the ground, etc., on skates.
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to glide or slide smoothly along.
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Slang. to shirk one's duty; loaf.
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(of the tone arm on a record player) to swing toward the spindle while a record is playing.
verb (used with object)
idioms
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get / put one's skates on, to make haste.
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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.
noun
noun
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the steel blade or runner of an ice skate
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such a blade fitted with straps for fastening to a shoe
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a current collector on an electric railway train that collects its current from a third rail Compare bow collector
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to hurry
verb
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to glide swiftly on skates
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to slide smoothly over a surface
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to place oneself in a dangerous or delicate situation
noun
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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skatesimple
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skatessimple
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have skatedperfect
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has skatedperfect
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am skatingprogressive
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are skatingprogressive
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is skatingprogressive
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have been skatingperfect progressive
-
has been skatingperfect progressive
Past
-
skatedsimple
-
had skatedperfect
-
was skatingprogressive
-
were skatingprogressive
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had been skatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of skate1
First recorded in 1640–50; originally plural scates, from Dutch schaats (singular) “skate,” Middle Dutch schaetse “stilt” (compare Medieval Latin scatia ), of unknown origin
Origin of skate2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English scate, from Old Norse skata
Origin of skate3
First recorded in 1890–95; perhaps special use of skate 2
Explanation
Skates are things you wear on your feet so you can roll around a roller rink or glide across an icy pond. Roller skates have wheels on the bottom, and ice skates have metal blades. When you lace up your skates and start moving over the ice, you skate. You also skate when you head down the street to your friend's house on your skates—or on your skateboard. A totally different kind of skate is the sea creature that looks like a sting ray, with a wide, flat body. The sporting equipment kind of skate comes from a Germanic root meaning "thing that shakes or moves fast."
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.
See Examples For:
"As soon as I heard the neighbour shout, and saw Joanne standing up, I fled the scene and away towards the skate park."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Blending classic menswear with skate and surf culture, the space also features an in-store skate bowl, reflecting the brand’s roots while tapping into Los Angeles’ laid-back vibe.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
What a shame, considering a three-dimensional approach might be all “Obsession” needs to skate past mediocrity.
From Salon ● Jun. 4, 2026
Every student gets a MacBook Air—an upgrade from the midrange laptops given to most Swedish high-schoolers—and lunch is free at a cafeteria perched above a cavernous indoor skate park.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026
How to smack a homer and walk a yo-yo and skate backward.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
Morgan said they hoped to build on the island's long history of shark research by raising awareness, supporting further scientific studies and helping protect sharks, skates and rays in Manx waters for the future.
From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026
During the trial, Nancy Iskander testified that she began to cross Triunfo Canyon Road at Saddle Mountain Drive on inline skates with her youngest son, Zachary, next to her on his scooter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Bikes, tricycles, roller skates and sidewalk games during the summer months were the norm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 31, 2026
Her older sons were close to the median, one on a skateboard and the other on skates, as the two cars seemingly accelerated and descended on them, she said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
The kids who rode by on their bikes or on their skates glanced over with curiosity—but they kept going.
From "It All Comes Down to This" by Karen English
Pro 7, which ran an advertising campaign in which their mascot held an Olympic flame or curled, skated or bob-sledded down a supermarket aisle, was fined a total of 550,000 euros.
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Earthless drummer and former pro skater Mario Rubalcaba skated the infamous Nude Bowl outside Desert Hot Springs while still a teenager and saw Kyuss play.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
Then she put on a gold dress, skated to Donna Summer and breezed to the top of the podium.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
"Ami and Mone, who shared this experience with me, both skated with such strength that you wouldn't think it was their first Olympic Games," said Sakamoto, who had dominated the sport since 2022.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
Tessie’s eyes were moving, though; under the lids they skated back and forth.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
But it is yet another straw in the wind that the stock market is skating on thin ice.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 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
German fans mostly gathered in an area that typically serves as an ice skating rink but has been converted to resemble an indoor beer garden, with benches in front of a large screen.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
There was also a knighthood and damehood for Olympic champions Dame Jayne Torvill and Sir Christopher Dean, for services to ice skating and to voluntary service.
From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026
She was beautiful beyond beautiful, even skating in her boots.
From "Orbiting Jupiter" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
