skateboard

American  

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

noun

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)

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

• skateboarder noun
• skateboarding noun

Etymology

Origin of skateboard

First recorded in 1960–65; skate ¹ + board

Example Sentences

"He'd stuff in her garage including a skateboard and a workbench and he'd come looking them back."

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

“We have people who come here who literally have never stepped on a skateboard, to people who’ve been skating their whole lives.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

The locations in L.A. and Vegas also have skateboard themes, with the decor in each customized to the city.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 15, 2025

In the video, Estrada is seen on a skateboard in the center median.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2025

There’s a chorus of laughter from a bunch of kids as a boy kicks his skateboard in the air.

From "The Fourteenth Goldfish" by Jennifer L. Holm