hit the skids
idiom
informal
: to begin to fail or get worse very suddenly and quickly
After he was injured his career hit the skids.
Examples of hit the skids in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At this point, the prospect of watching a film about an aging boxer whose life has hit the skids sounds as appealing as getting into the ring with Oleksandr Usyk.
—
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
There were myriad in-game illustrations of just how swiftly Oregon’s undefeated season hit the skids in Pasadena.
—Christopher Kamrani, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
After starting 4-1, including a shocking 24-3 upset of then-No. 7 Alabama, Oklahoma's season hit the skids.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
The Bergen Record’s transportation reporter, Colleen Wilson, recently spotted a filing with the NJ Transit board of directors, dating back to 2022, that showed the reliability of the railroad’s newer passenger cars had also hit the skids.
—Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 28 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hit the skids
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
There were myriad in-game illustrations of just how swiftly Oregon’s undefeated season hit the skids in Pasadena.
—Christopher Kamrani, The Athletic, 5 Jan. 2025
After starting 4-1, including a shocking 24-3 upset of then-No. 7 Alabama, Oklahoma's season hit the skids.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 27 Dec. 2024
The Bergen Record’s transportation reporter, Colleen Wilson, recently spotted a filing with the NJ Transit board of directors, dating back to 2022, that showed the reliability of the railroad’s newer passenger cars had also hit the skids.
—Nolan Hicks, Curbed, 28 Oct. 2024
See All Example Sentences for hit the skids
Cite this Entry
“Hit the skids.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hit%20the%20skids. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share