What does "skid" mean?
An out-of-control sliding motion as would result from applying the brakes too hard in a car or other vehicle.
Skid
/skɪd/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An out-of-control sliding motion as would result from applying the brakes too hard in a car or other vehicle.
- Grammar: skid is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: slip, aquaplaned, aquaplanes, aquaplaning.
- Useful contrasts: adhere, clean surface, container.
- Usage evidence: To some extent, you can control the car in a skid.
How to use "skid"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "skid" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "skid" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "skid" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "skid" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "skid" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "slip" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "skid", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An out-of-control sliding motion as would result from applying the brakes too hard in a car or other vehicle.
"Near-synonyms: wheelslide, sideslip"
- 2 A stepchild. Internet
- 3 A script kiddie. Internet
"[…] it is something that differentiates an elite hacker from skids (script kiddies)."
- 4 A sovereign (old coin). UK, obsolete, slang
- 5 an unexpected slide wordnet
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 A shoe or clog, as of iron, attached to a chain, and placed under the wheel of a wagon to prevent its turning when descending a steep hill.
- 7 a restraint provided when the brake linings are moved hydraulically against the brake drum to retard the wheel's rotation wordnet
- 8 A hook attached to a chain, used for the same purpose. broadly
- 9 one of a pair of planks used to make a track for rolling or sliding objects wordnet
- 10 A piece of timber or other material used as a support, or to receive pressure.; A runner of a sled.
"In the hours before daylight he sharpened the skids and tightened the lashings to prepare for the long dogsled journey."
- 11 A piece of timber or other material used as a support, or to receive pressure.; A ski-shaped runner or supporting surface as found on a helicopter or other aircraft in place of wheels.
"Due to frequent arctic travel, the plane was equipped with long skids for snow and ice landings."
- 12 A piece of timber or other material used as a support, or to receive pressure.; A basic platform for the storage and transport of goods, machinery or equipment, later developed into the pallet.
"He unloaded six skids of boxes from the truck."
- 13 A piece of timber or other material used as a support, or to receive pressure.; A pallet.
- 14 A piece of timber or other material used as a support, or to receive pressure.; One of a pair of horizontal rails or timbers for supporting anything, such as a boat or barrel.
"His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck."
- 15 A banked sideslip where the aircraft's nose is yawed towards the low wing, often due to excessive rudder input.
- 16 A losing streak.
"The team snapped a 3-game skid with a win over their biggest rival."
Verb
- 1 (of a wheel, sled runner, or vehicle tracks) To slide along the ground, without the rotary motion that wheels or tracks would normally have. intransitive
- 2 To steal or copy, especially computer code. Internet
- 3 move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner wordnet
- 4 To slide in an uncontrolled manner as in a car with the brakes applied too hard, the wheels sliding with limited spinning. intransitive
"They skidded around the corner and accelerated up the street."
- 5 slide without control wordnet
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 To operate an aircraft in a banked sideslip with the nose yawed towards the low wing. intransitive, transitive
"Don't use excessive rudder when turning, especially at low airspeed, as this causes your plane to skid through the turn, which can cause you to very rapidly enter a spin if the inner wing stalls."
- 7 apply a brake or skid to wordnet
- 8 To protect or support with a skid or skids. transitive
- 9 elevate onto skids wordnet
- 10 To cause to move on skids. transitive
- 11 To check or halt (wagon wheels, etc.) with a skid. transitive
"The horses stopped to breathe again, and the guard got down to skid the wheel for the descent, and open the coach-door to let the passengers in"
Example
"To some extent, you can control the car in a skid."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "skid"?
Common synonyms include: slip, aquaplaned, aquaplanes, aquaplaning, avalanche, bank.
How do you use "skid" in a sentence?
To some extent, you can control the car in a skid.
How do you pronounce "skid"?
Pronounced /skɪd/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English *skid, from Old Norse skíð (“a billet of wood, a beam or plank on which something rests”), from Proto-Germanic *skīdą (“log, clapboard”), from Proto-Indo-European *skey-t-, *skey- (“to split, divide, separate”). Cognate with English shide, from Middle English schyd, schyde, schide (“plank, beam”), German Scheit (“piece of wood, log”). Doublet of ski.
Etymology 2
Shortening of stepkid.
Etymology 3
Shortened from script kiddie, probably via skiddie.