track shoe

American  

noun

1. a light, heelless, usually leather shoe having either steel spikes for use outdoors on a cinder or dirt track, or a rubber sole for use indoors on a board floor.

2. the part of a track-brake mechanism that slows or stops a vehicle.

---

track shoe British  

noun

1. Also called: spike.  either of a pair of light running shoes fitted with steel spikes for better grip

---

Etymology

Origin of track shoe

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

It may seem amusing to suggest “despite the cub’s popularity, there is no indication that he has endorsed any brand of sneaker or track shoe,” but the giant panda faces a world of woe.

From Washington Post

So far, however, despite the cub’s popularity, there is no indication that he has endorsed any brand of sneaker or track shoe.

From Washington Post

There’s also an elaborate and carefully framed insect collection, to which Parker holds up a prototype sneaker with what appears to be a jewel-encrusted sole—a track shoe, still top secret, with synthetic stones instead of spikes, which will be unveiled at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next year.

From The Wall Street Journal

On the guide, Jay Meschter, director of the Innovation Kitchen, a Nike product design lab, recounts how he and his team whittled away at the traditional track shoe until they came up with the feather-light Zoom Victory Spike for the Beijing Olympics.

From New York Times

From Bowerman, a legendary coach, Knight got two things: an innovative track shoe and a relentless appetite for competition.

From Time Magazine Archive