sled
Americannoun
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a small vehicle consisting of a platform mounted on runners for use in traveling over snow or ice.
-
a sledge.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
sledsimple
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sledssimple
-
have sleddedperfect
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has sleddedperfect
-
am sleddingprogressive
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are sleddingprogressive
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is sleddingprogressive
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have been sleddingperfect progressive
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has been sleddingperfect progressive
Past
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sleddedsimple
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had sleddedperfect
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was sleddingprogressive
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were sleddingprogressive
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had been sleddingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sled
1350–1400; Middle English sledde < Middle Dutch; akin to German Schlitten sled, sleigh; cf. slide
Explanation
If you want to slide down a snowy hill, hop on a sled! A sled can be simple and plastic, or it can be more complicated, with wood and metal runners, like the kind that huskies pull across the tundra. Mush! Sleds sit on runners made to glide over an icy or snowy surface. Large sleds can seat several riders and are pulled by one or more horses, while dog sleds pull one or two people and are usually pulled by several dogs. The sled you get out of the garage in the winter is made of plastic, wood, or metal, and it's meant to slide fast downhill. In the U.K., the word for a sled is sledge.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He filed a lawsuit in December 2021 that asked USA Bobsled/Skeleton to implement a medical monitoring system to identify and treat sledders with sled head symptoms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
The actor added that he imagined turning the fictional home into a “movie fun house” where people could sled down the stairs just like Kevin does in the movie.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 2, 2026
“The first responsibility is pushing the sled as fast as I can, together with my pilot,” she said in a German accent and near-flawless English.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 16, 2026
But he did not necessarily expect to be pushing a sled at another Winter Olympics.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2026
In a moment of sheer stupidity, worried that I will lose my team, I tie my left arm to the sled.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
But their partnership and matrimonial bliss dissolves as soon as their sleds hit the track.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
The real stars of the Milan Cortina Games aren’t on skis or skates or even bombing downhill on sleds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Blame was laid firmly on their equipment - a risk was taken with their sleds and "it didn't pay off".
From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026
As sleds descended the hills of Central Park, traders hunting for an edge ventured outside to take measurements of snowfall accumulation on parked cars.
From Barron's ● Jan. 26, 2026
The Yukon is a wonderful river for sleds.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
"I’ve been trying to juggle," she said as her 7-year-old sledded on the hill outside and her 4-year-old didn’t want to go out.
From Fox News ● Jan. 7, 2022
We sledded when we would’ve been chipping ice.
From Washington Times ● Feb. 8, 2021
In winter, children sledded on the slopes and skated on the frozen pond.
From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2014
There are four bedrooms and it features the staircase that Culkin sledded down in the 1990 movie written by John Hughes.
From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2011
“We sledded all the way to Big Creek,” I told him.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
While winning that case would be uphill sledding, the report may have ultimately been a useful development for him.
From Slate ● Apr. 25, 2026
Through their court filings, both recount head injuries sustained while sledding and lingering symptoms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 23, 2026
It’s been rough sledding for all business-software names in 2026, and CrowdStrike is no exception, with shares down 18% year to date.
From Barron's ● Mar. 3, 2026
You see it in someone like Elana Meyers Taylor, a 41-year-old multiple silver and bronze winning mother from Texas who finally took a sledding gold in her fifth Games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Dad’s school was closed, too, so he took me and Jamie sledding down Skeleton Hill in the park.
From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
