speed skating

American  

Or speedskating

noun

1. ice skating as a form of racing, usually on an oval course and against other competitors or the clock.

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speed skating British  

noun

1. a form of ice skating in which contestants race against each other or the clock over various distances

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• speedskater
  noun
• speed skater
  noun

Etymology

Origin of speed skating

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

Fontana has won at least one medal in every Olympic short track speed skating distance.

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

Dutch speed skating star Jutta Leerdam was pipped to her second gold medal at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics by her teammate Femke Kok in a thrilling 500 metres contest on Sunday.

From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026

Team GB's hopes for a medal in the men's 1500m short track speed skating event comes to an abrupt end as Niall Treacy is penalised for a lane infringement which leads to a collision.

From BBC • Feb. 14, 2026

American Jordan Stolz achieved the 500m and 1000m double, a feat not seen in men's speed skating for 46 years, at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Saturday.

From Barron's • Feb. 14, 2026

In the second half of the 19th century the Fen country acquired a certain celebrity in the world of sport from the encouragement it gave to speed skating.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2 "Fairbanks, Erastus" to "Fens" by Various