skidder

American  

[skid-er] / ˈskɪd ər /

noun

1. a person or thing that skids.

2. Machinery. a type of four-wheel tractor equipped with a grapple, used to haul logs or timber, especially over rough terrain.

3. Slang.

   1. a person who is moving toward or has reached a less desirable status, condition, etc.

   2. a vagrant who lives on the streets or frequents skid row.

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Etymology

Origin of skidder

First recorded in 1865–70; skid + -er ¹

Example Sentences

The pilot project showed that an equipment operator in his home office 400 miles away could maneuver the skidder, which was equipped with AI-assisted navigation and terrain mapping technology from the firm Kodama Systems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

He and his co-owners of Henderson Timber Inc., in Sigel, Ill., devised a solution: What if John Deere, the original manufacturer, could remanufacture the skidder to repair and upgrade it, comporting with current technology?

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 2020

Investigators also determined that Jim Stouder, the longtime head of the county road department, had approved a rental agreement for the skidder that paid his son, Charlie Stouder, more than $7,000.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 27, 2020

She bends down low, holds the orange ball next to her eye, tosses it high into the air, and cracks a low skidder to my backhand.

From Slate • Oct. 22, 2012

There had been a trail there when we went out but a logging crew had gone through with a skidder and the blade had taken the trail down to bare ice.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen