skid

[ skid ]

/ skɪd /

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See synonyms for: skid / skidded / skidding on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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

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

Nautical.

any of a number of parallel beams or timbers fixed in place as a raised support for boats, spars, etc.
any of a number of timbers on which a heavy object is placed to be shoved along on rollers or slid.
an arrangement of planks serving as a runway for cargo.
an arrangement of planks serving as a fender to protect the side of a vessel during transfer of cargo.
sidewise motion of a vessel; leeway.

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

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

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.

verb (used with object), skid·ded, skid·ding.

to place on or slide along a skid.

to check the motion of with a skid: She skidded her skates to a stop.

to cause to go into a skid: to skid the car into a turn.

verb (used without object), skid·ded, skid·ding.

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

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

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

(of an airplane when not banked sufficiently) to slide sideways, away from the center of the curve described in turning.Compare slip¹ (def. 15).

OTHER WORDS FOR skid

9, 12 slip.

13 slither.

See synonyms for skid on Thesaurus.com

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Idioms about skid

on the skids, Slang. in the process of decline or deterioration: His career is on the skids.

put the skids under, Informal. to bring about the downfall of; cause to fail: Lack of money put the skids under our plans.

the skids, Informal. the downward path to ruin, poverty, or depravity: After losing his job he began to hit the skids.

Origin of skid

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

OTHER WORDS FROM skid

skid·ding·ly, adverban·ti·skid·ding, adjective

Words nearby skid

skiamachy, skiascope, skiascopy, skibob, ski boot, skid, Skidbladnir, skidder, skiddoo, skiddy, skid fin

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use skid in a sentence

As noted by ESPN’s David Purdum, some books had their third straight losing week, a rare skid for entities that rarely fail to come out on top.
This NFL season has been devoid of big upsets, and gamblers are cashing in|Matt Bonesteel|October 25, 2021|Washington Post
Instead, the narrative this time around is that of a former golden boy on the skids, turning himself around to land the untouchable goddess who once loved him.
The Jennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck recoupling is the greatest gossip story we’ve had in years|Constance Grady|August 24, 2021|Vox
If we lose the skid, we not only lose our workforce, but we lose our culture.
Did the Pandemic Finally End the Modern-Day Ski Bum?|syadron|August 5, 2021|Outside Online
Ditto if a pilot is setting up to toe the skid of a helicopter into an Alaskan face to unload skiers and the ten-knot headwind shifts to a ten-knot tailwind.
What We Know About the Deadly Alaskan Heli Crash|Marc Peruzzi|April 10, 2021|Outside Online

The Blackhawks looked like the early choice after a hot start — with over a 60 percent chance in early March — but a recent skid has coincided with a surge for the Nashville Predators, who seemed dead in the water early.
The NHL Playoff Races To Watch Down The Stretch|Neil Paine (neil.paine@fivethirtyeight.com)|April 2, 2021|FiveThirtyEight
Downtown L.A. was basically just Skid Row back then, and we closed it down to shoot that shootout sequence.
Tom Sizemore’s Revenge: On Tom Cruise’s Scientology Recruitment, Drugs, and Craving a Comeback|Marlow Stern|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I did think you had to end up on skid row if you were an alcoholic.
Elmore Leonard’s Rocky Road to Fame and Fortune|Mike Lupica|September 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But today Skid Row is in the news—for all the wrong reasons.
The FBI Declares War on L.A.’s Crips|Andrew Romano|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Today Skid Row resembles a Third World tent city teeming with sleeping bags, shopping carts, and people with nowhere else to go.
The FBI Declares War on L.A.’s Crips|Andrew Romano|June 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If Ron Johnson was running any faster from the Tea Party he'd leave skid marks.
Conservative Senator Kicks Tea Party to the Curb|David Freedlander|May 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The blade wabbled, took a mad skid for the surface, and the handles hit me a blow in the ribs which knocked my breath out.
The Idyl of Twin Fires|Walter Prichard Eaton
They are goin' to skid the butt log again, and they swear that if you cull it again, they will kill you.
Blazed Trail Stories|Stewart Edward White
The car went into a wild skid and Salt thereafter devoted his attention strictly to driving.
Ghost Beyond the Gate|Mildred A. Wirt
Though the driver applied the foot brake with quick stabs, the car went into a disastrous skid.
Ghost Beyond the Gate|Mildred A. Wirt
Got a sleigh fixed, hemlock boughs and a cover of robes and blankets, and Skid'll drive careful.
The Children's Book of Thanksgiving Stories|Various

British Dictionary definitions for skid

skid

/ (skɪd) /

verb skids, skidding or skidded

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

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

(tr) US and Canadian to put or haul on a skid, esp along a special track

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

noun

an instance of sliding, esp sideways

mainly US and Canadian one of the logs forming a skidway

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

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

on the skids in decline or about to fail

Derived forms of skid

skiddy, adjective

Word Origin for skid

C17: perhaps of Scandinavian origin; compare ski

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with skid

skid

In addition to the idiom beginning with skid

skid row

also see:

on the skids
put the skids on
put the skids under

skid

OTHER WORDS FOR skid

Idioms about skid

Origin of skid

OTHER WORDS FROM skid

Words nearby skid

Words related to skid

How to use skid in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for skid

Derived forms of skid

Word Origin for skid

Other Idioms and Phrases with skid