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  • water ski
    water ski
    noun
    a short, broad ski designed to plane over water.
  • water-ski
    water-ski
    noun
    a type of ski used for planing or gliding over water

water ski

American  
[waw-ter skee, wot-er] / ˈwɔ tər ˌski, ˈwɒt ər /

noun

  • water skis,
    plural
  • water ski
    plural
  1. a short, broad ski designed to plane over water.


water-ski British  

noun

  1. a type of ski used for planing or gliding over water

"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

verb

  1. (intr) to ride over water on a water-ski or water-skis while holding a rope towed by a speedboat

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of water ski

First recorded in 1900–05

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:

A basketball junkie who also loves to play piano, cycle, water ski and swim, VanDerveer still relishes every aspect of her job, from the practices and preparation to the film study, recruiting and play-calling.

From Seattle Times Jan. 18, 2024

But her videos also reached the coaches of the college water ski program she hoped to join.

From Washington Post Feb. 16, 2023

In a statement, Liquid Leisure said it reopened its cable water ski and water sports areas on Saturday following clearance from the council.

From BBC Oct. 26, 2022

For decades, the valley’s resort aesthetic has featured cascading waterfalls, swimming pools and lakes where residents can water ski or moor their boats at private docks.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 19, 2022

By arching his back, he brought his face above water, and in a moment he was planing along like a water ski.

From The Pirates of Shan by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)

She taught him how to water-ski at her home in Annapolis, Md., when they were teenagers.

From The Wall Street Journal Apr. 23, 2026

Tim Boyd of the Olympia Yacht Club remembers water-ski tournaments, mini-hydroplane races and a swimming beach when he moved to the area in the early 1980s.

From Seattle Times Jul. 15, 2023

Chuck and Lou Ann also trained other animals to water-ski, two miniature horses, two French poodles, a black cat, an armadillo and a toad.

From Slate Aug. 21, 2021

A wall mural advertised the wonderfully named Min-Aqua Bats, one of the oldest amateur water-ski acts in the country.

From New York Times Aug. 14, 2019

Once I pass the swimming test, I’ll get to learn how to water-ski.

From "Holes" by Louis Sachar

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