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

At a meeting with investors in New York last year, executives showed video of a driverless skidder, dragging freshly downed timber around a Southern logging site.

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

An internal review by the county and an investigation by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office found numerous safety issues with the skidder, including frequent stalling, brake failures, bald rear tires and a jury-rigged seat belt.

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