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Definition of water ski
water ski
Plural:water skis
•Past Simple:water skied
•Past Participle:water skied
•Present Participle:water skiing
water ski Lexical Profile
CEFR
B1
Grade
6
Tier
2
Usage
Top 10k
• noun
1
One of a pair of broad, board-like skis designed to allow a person to glide over the surface of the water while being towed by a motorboat.
Example
"She strapped her feet onto a shiny new water ski and signaled the driver that she was ready."
• verb
1
To glide on the surface of water standing on one or two broad skis while being continuously towed by a motorboat.
Example
"During their summer vacation at the lake, the children learned how to water ski behind their uncle's boat."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Coined in the 1920s in the United States, formed by combining 'water' and 'ski', extending the winter sport concept of gliding over snow to gliding over a body of water.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.
180019102020
Data source: Google Books Ngram Viewer
Cite this Entry
Wordmom. (2026). Definition of Water ski. In Wordmom Dictionary. Retrieved Oct 15, 2026, from https://wordmom.com/dictionary/water ski