skid
skid Lexical Profile
skid Game Scores & Validity
• noun
An act of sliding sideways or obliquely without traction on a slippery surface, especially by the wheels of a vehicle.
"The driver steered gently into the skid to regain control of the car on the icy road."
A runner or long piece of wood or metal attached to the underside of an aircraft, sled, or heavy structure to facilitate sliding or landing.
"The helicopter touched down smoothly on its metal skids in the rocky clearing."
North American A series of failures or a period of rapid decline or deterioration, especially in sports or business.
"The basketball team finally snapped a five-game losing skid with last night's victory."
A low wooden or metal platform or plank used for supporting, moving, or storing heavy freight and machinery.
"The warehouse workers loaded the crates onto wooden skids for transport by forklift."
• verb
To slide sideways or uncontrollably across a surface without traction (especially of a vehicle or its wheels).
"The delivery truck skidded across the wet pavement before coming to a stop near the curb."
To fall or decline rapidly in value, performance, or standing.
"Share prices skidded sharply following the disappointing quarterly earnings report."
To haul, slide, or support heavy logs or machinery along the ground or on wooden runners.
"Foresters used draft horses to skid the felled timber down the mountain trail."
• Rhymes for skid
Word Origin & Etymology
Attested from the 17th century as a nautical term for wooden fenders or planks used to protect a ship's side, probably borrowed from a Scandinavian source akin to Old Norse skíð ('split piece of wood, snowshoe') or native Old English scīd ('plank, billet').