skid

[ skid ]

/ skɪd /

Save This Word!

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).

SYNONYMS FOR skid

9, 12 slip.

13 slither.

See synonyms for skid on Thesaurus.com

QUIZZES

QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!

In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”

Question 1 of 7

The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.

affect

effect

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms for 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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for skid

Only seven other NFL teams can say the same, though Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Buffalo all have opportunities to end their skids this weekend.
Washington’s last playoff win came 15 years ago. That felt like a beginning, too.|Barry Svrluga|January 7, 2021|Washington Post
Another option is a vehicle like Can-Am’s Defender Pro XT HD 10, which rolls off the showroom floor with a locking front differential, nearly 11 inches of suspension travel, 13 inches of ground clearance, full skid plates, and a 4,500-pound winch.
How Side-by-Sides Are Redefining Adventure|Outside Editors|December 11, 2020|Outside Online
The city had its own skid row in East Village and more tents popped up elsewhere nearby.
Faulconer Hopes His Action on Homelessness Will Overshadow His Failure|Lisa Halverstadt|December 7, 2020|Voice of San Diego
Their strong defense will look to slow down Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry and the rest of the Titans, who broke out of their recent skid with an impressive comeback of their own on the road against the Ravens.
It’s Hard To Measure NFL Matchups, So We Built A Better Metric|Josh Hermsmeyer|November 25, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

The pharmaceutical and biomedical industries influence doctors’ decision-making, actively bias major product research, pay key players to grease the skids for expanded sales, and ignore or obscure the harm some of their medicines and devices can do.
My cancer might be back—and I wonder if unnecessary radiation caused it in the first place|jakemeth|September 22, 2020|Fortune
How did she film with live bullets flying and teargas canisters skidding across the pavement?
How Jehane Noujaim Made The Year’s Most Dangerous Documentary ‘The Square’|Andrew Romano|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The move was supposedly for safety reasons, to force more skidding and slower turns.
The Can't-Miss Sochi Showdown: Bode Miller And Ted Ligety|Jake Bright|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Keeping sharp lookout for skidding cars and unexpected pedestrians and street-car crossings and the like fully occupied Bud.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
This "skidding" is done by a powerful, steam-driven stationary donkey-engine, which is fitted up with a long cable and a drum.
Our National Forests|Richard H. Douai Boerker
My right scull was for ever skidding on mud or weeds, and the backward suck of shoal water clogged our progress.
The Riddle of the Sands|Erskine Childers
Jason had a vanishing glimpse of the open-mouthed guards, then they were skidding around the corner of a building.
Deathworld|Harry Harrison
Walter could but cling to the swaying, jouncing, skidding sled, and let the dogs go where they would.
South from Hudson Bay|E. C. [Ethel Claire] Brill

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

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

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

skid

noun

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

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

SYNONYMS FOR skid