1
: one of a group of objects (such as planks or logs) used to support or elevate a structure or object
2
: a wooden fender hung over a ship's side to protect it in handling cargo
3
: a usually iron shoe or clog attached to a chain and placed under a wheel to prevent its turning when descending a steep hill : drag
4
: a timber, bar, rail, pole, or log used in pairs or sets to form a slideway (as for an incline from a truck to the sidewalk)
6
: either of two longitudinal pieces used as part of the landing gear of an airplane or helicopter
—usually plural
the skids of a helicopter
7
a
skids plural
: a route to defeat or downfall
on the skids
his career hit the skids
b
: a losing streak
a 5-game skid
8
: a low platform mounted (as on wheels) on which material is set for handling and moving
also
: pallet sense 1
skidded; skidding
1
: to apply a brake or skid to : slow or halt by a skid
2
a
: to haul (logs or something similar) by dragging
cutting and skidding firewood
b
: to haul along, slide, hoist, or store on skids
1
: to slide without rotating (as a wheel does when it is held from turning while a vehicle moves onward)
2
3
: to fall rapidly, steeply, or far
sales skidded last year
Synonyms
Examples of skid in a Sentence
Noun
The car hit a patch of ice and went into a skid.
This victory ends a five-game skid.
Verb
The truck skidded on the icy road.
The car skidded off the road and into the gully.
He slammed on the brakes, and the car skidded to a halt.
I skidded on the ice and fell.
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Saints head coach Dennis Allen entered this season with everything on the line ... but the team's losing streak extended to a seven-game skid in North Carolina yesterday.
—Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2024
And then the Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson nudged a bouncer toward Buckner, whose glove closed too soon, as the ball—and the game—skidded just past it.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for skid 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The Cowboys are already on a three-game skid, and losing Prescott could not come at a worse time for a team that is trying to stay relevant in the NFC.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Saints head coach Dennis Allen entered this season with everything on the line ... but the team's losing streak extended to a seven-game skid in North Carolina yesterday.
—Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Twelve years after that, at the age of 32, she was killed when her second husband’s convertible skidded to avoid a truck and plunged off a wet bridge, flipping into a river.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 13 Aug. 2024
And then the Mets outfielder Mookie Wilson nudged a bouncer toward Buckner, whose glove closed too soon, as the ball—and the game—skidded just past it.
—Nicholas Dawidoff, The New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for skid
Dictionary Entries Near skid
Cite this Entry
“Skid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skid. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
skid
1 of 2 noun1
: a log or plank for supporting something (as above the ground)
2
: one of the logs, planks, or rails along or on which something heavy is rolled or slid
3
: a device placed under a carriage wheel to prevent its turning
4
: a runner used as part of the landing gear of an airplane or helicopter
5
: the act of skidding : slide
skid
2 of 2 verb
skidded; skidding
1
: to haul along, slide, hoist, or store on skids
2
: to slide without rotating
the wheels skidded
3
: to fail to grip the roadway
especially
: to slip sideways on the road
the car skidded on an icy road
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