skate

¹ American  

[skeyt] / skeɪt /

noun

1. ice skate.

2. roller skate.

3. the blade of an ice skate.

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

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verb (used without object)

skated, skating

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

2. to glide or slide smoothly along.

3. Slang.  to shirk one's duty; loaf.

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

verb (used with object)

skated, skating

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

idioms

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

2. 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.

skate ² American  

[skeyt] / skeɪt /

noun

PLURAL

skate

PLURAL

skates

1. any of numerous rays of the family Rajidae having paired electric organs within a long, fleshy tail and producing a distinctive egg case (amermaid'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.

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skate ³ American  

[skeyt] / skeɪt /

noun

Slang.

1. a person; fellow.

   He's a good skate.

2. a contemptible person.

3. an inferior, decrepit horse; nag.

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skate ¹ British  

/ skeɪt /

noun

1. See roller skate ice skate

2. the steel blade or runner of an ice skate

3. such a blade fitted with straps for fastening to a shoe

4. a current collector on an electric railway train that collects its current from a third rail Compare bow collector

5. to hurry

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verb

1. to glide swiftly on skates

2. to slide smoothly over a surface

3. to place oneself in a dangerous or delicate situation

skate ² British  

/ skeɪt /

noun

1. 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

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skate ³ British  

/ skeɪt /

noun

1. slang  a person; fellow

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skate More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing skate

• cheap skate
• on thin ice, skate

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Other Word Forms

• skateable adjective

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

Example Sentences

In other words, he skated, and not for the last time.

From Salon

Cups and cutlery skated across the table in the mess.

From The Wall Street Journal

For “Don’t You Worry Baby” he was joined by a female dancer on roller skates; for “Noid,” a couple of guys with cameras helped him act out his unhappy thoughts on paparazzi.

From Los Angeles Times

French skater Adam Siao Him Fa took the lead at the Finlandia Trophy, the final stop on the ISU figure skating Grand Prix circuit, after Friday's opening short programme in Helsinki.

From Barron's

“If our state leaders don’t make serious changes to the cap-and-trade program, polluters will continue to skate, while low-income communities of color neighboring polluters pay the price.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• glide