skid

American  

[skid] / skɪd /

noun

• skids
  plural

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)

• skids,
  present (3rd person singular)
• skidded,
  past participle,  past
• skidding
  present participle

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)

• skids,
  present (3rd person singular)
• skidded,
  past participle,  past
• skidding
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• antiskidding
  adjective
• skiddy
  adjective
• skiddingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• skids
  plural

Participles

• skidding
  present
• skidded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• skid
  simple
• skids
  simple
• have skidded
  perfect
• has skidded
  perfect
• am skidding
  progressive
• are skidding
  progressive
• is skidding
  progressive
• have been skidding
  perfect progressive
• has been skidding
  perfect progressive

Past

• skidded
  simple
• had skidded
  perfect
• was skidding
  progressive
• were skidding
  progressive
• had been skidding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will skid
  simple
• will have skidded
  perfect
• will be skidding
  progressive
• will have been skidding
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

skid skids skidded skidding

They stumbled to a 5-1 loss and extended their skid to a season-high five games and ensure a second straight series loss.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

I think I say somewhere in the book that he responded to criticism from the network like a driver turning into a skid.

From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026

Chip makers, including Intel, Micron and AMD, closed Monday on their worst two-session skid since March, an abrupt halt to a torrid weekslong rally.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026

Not even the pharmaceutical distributor’s second straight guidance hike this year could stop the skid.

From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026

The skid delayed for a year the reunion with his father.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Automakers have hit the skids because of the Middle East conflict pushing up raw materials costs and snarling up shipping routes, as well as US import tariffs and Chinese rivals gaining market share.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

When a U.S. competitor crosses the finish line and skids to a sideways stop, she soon has a teammate there to greet her with a hug.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

Once-popular momentum trades that showered investors with outsize rewards last year finally hit the skids.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 7, 2026

And that the car was subsequently found to have worn its skids too much.

From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2025

He skids along the maze, looking which way to go, and we laugh when he gets himself in a dead end.

From "Shiloh" by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

As Mr Mullan attempted to regain control of the car, it skidded across the road, slid over the embankment and entered Lough Foyle.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Chip stocks skidded Wednesday after Warsh said that anyone expecting the Fed would tolerate inflation running above its 2% goal “would be disappointed.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

The ball skidded against the dirt and deflected off the base over Bryce Harper’s head.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

The victims' vehicle, which was leading an official convoy of five cars, skidded off the road and plunged into a ravine, he said.

From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026

Clare skidded to a stop, good ear straining.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

The cause of the crash is under investigation, but preliminary reports suggest a steering fault may have led the driver to lose control before skidding off the mountain range.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

The lasting image of her 2022 Olympics, where she was expected to dominate, was of Shiffrin sitting in the snow in tears after skidding off course.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026

The agency’s rules touch virtually every facet of transportation safety, including regulations that keep airplanes in the sky, prevent gas pipelines from exploding and stop freight trains carrying toxic chemicals from skidding off the rails.

From Salon ● Feb. 2, 2026

As UBS analyst Robin Farley has pointed out, in her Neutral-rating notes, the KKR deal will only prove wise if the motorcycle maker can turn around its skidding sales.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2025

Big Henryk’s first wallop sent me skidding over the frozen ground like a sled on ice.

From "Milkweed" by Jerry Spinelli

Related Words

• drift
• glide
• slip
• swerve
• veer