skid

American  

[skid] / skɪd /

noun

1. a plank, bar, log, or the like, especially one of a pair, on which something heavy may be slid or rolled along.

2. one of a number of such logs or timbers forming a skidway.

3. a low mobile platform on which goods are placed for ease in handling, moving, etc.

4. a plank, log, low platform, etc., on or by which a load is supported.

5. Nautical.

   1. any of a number of parallel beams or timbers fixed in place as a raised support for boats, spars, etc.

   2. any of a number of timbers on which a heavy object is placed to be shoved along on rollers or slid.

   3. an arrangement of planks serving as a runway for cargo.

   4. an arrangement of planks serving as a fender to protect the side of a vessel during transfer of cargo.

   5. sidewise motion of a vessel; leeway.

6. a shoe or some other choke or drag for preventing the wheel of a vehicle from rotating, as when descending a hill.

7. a runner on the under part of some airplanes, enabling the aircraft to slide along the ground when landing.

8. an unexpected or uncontrollable sliding on a smooth surface by something not rotating, especially an oblique or wavering veering by a vehicle or its tires.

   The bus went into a skid on the icy road.

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verb (used with object)

skidded, skidding

1. to place on or slide along a skid.

   Synonyms:

   slip

2. to check the motion of with a skid.

   She skidded her skates to a stop.

3. to cause to go into a skid.

   to skid the car into a turn.

verb (used without object)

skidded, skidding

1. to slide along without rotating, as a wheel to which a brake has been applied.

   Synonyms:

   slip

2. to slip or slide sideways, as an automobile in turning a corner rapidly.

   Synonyms:

   slither

3. to slide forward under the force of momentum after forward motion has been braked, as a vehicle.

4. (of an airplane when not banked sufficiently) to slide sideways, away from the center of the curve described in turning.

idioms

1. the skids, the downward path to ruin, poverty, or depravity.

   After losing his job he began to hit the skids.

2. on the skids, in the process of decline or deterioration.

   His career is on the skids.

3. put the skids under, to bring about the downfall of; cause to fail.

   Lack of money put the skids under our plans.

skid British  

/ skɪd /

verb

1. to cause (a vehicle) to slide sideways or (of a vehicle) to slide sideways while in motion, esp out of control

2. (intr) to slide without revolving, as the wheel of a moving vehicle after sudden braking

3. (tr) to put or haul on a skid, esp along a special track

4. to cause (an aircraft) to slide sideways away from the centre of a turn when insufficiently banked or (of an aircraft) to slide in this manner

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noun

1. an instance of sliding, esp sideways

2. one of the logs forming a skidway

3. a support on which heavy objects may be stored and moved short distances by sliding

4. a shoe or drag used to apply pressure to the metal rim of a wheel to act as a brake

5. in decline or about to fail

skid More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing skid

• on the skids
• put the skids on
• put the skids under

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Other Word Forms

• antiskidding
  adjective
• skiddingly
  adverb
• skiddy
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of skid

1600–10; 1925–30 skid for def. 18; apparently < Old Norse skith (noun), cognate with Old English scīd thin slip of wood; see ski

Explanation

Whoopsy daisy! Those new fuzzy socks make it easy to skid, or slide unexpectedly, across the wood floor. Does skid sound Scandinavian? Because that's where etymologists think the word came from. It makes sense, since there's all that ice up there. The Vikings were most likely skidding around way before snow tires and anti-lock brakes came about to stop all the slippery fun. But a skid that gets out of control is never any good — that's why when someone's life slides into the dumps, you can say they "hit the skids."

Example Sentences

Johnson, who is part the Sparks ownership group, accepted responsibility for the team’s skid two years ago and promised to do more.

From Los Angeles Times • May 14, 2026

Police officers are analysing skid marks on Jupiter Island's 30mph South Beach Road to gauge the speed of the 82-time tour winner's car while attempting his ill-fated overtake manoeuvre.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

But they snapped a four-game skid with just their fourth road win of the season, this one against a Knicks team that came in tied for the second-most home wins in the league with 21.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

She placed 40th, 11th and fifth in World Cup races, before the knee buckled in her next race, causing her to skid off course.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 5, 2026

The motion asserted that “there was no debris found, there were no skid marks, scuff marks, or gouge marks, and no evidence which could support the preparation of a diagram.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• drift
• glide
• slip
• swerve
• veer