SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

ollie

noun ol·lie \ ˈä-lē \

Definition of ollie

1 : a maneuver in skateboarding in which the skater kicks the tail of the board down while jumping in order to make the board pop into the air

2 : a maneuver in snowboarding in which the rider transfers weight from the front to the back foot to snap the board up off the ground

—

ollie

verb

Recent Examples of ollie from the Web

Campers ages 6 to 17 will skate with the pros and learn bowl riding, how to grind and kick flip, and the basics of ollies and transitions.

— joelle casteix, Orange County Register, "Check out our list of fun summer camps!," 27 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ollie.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of ollie

Ollie, nickname of Alan Gelfand born 1963 U.S. skateboarder

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1979

See Words from the same year

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up ollie? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

headlong

play

without deliberation, pause, or delay

BROWSE DICTIONARY

olla podrida

ollav

ollie

olluco

olm

Test Your Vocabulary

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Which of the following best describes an easily irritated person?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

alt-5ad77fad37d22

What the #@*% Is a ‘Grawlix?’

We can thank Beetle Bailey.

alt-5ad76a1542e73

'Altho' vs. 'Although'

Altho doesn't get much love.

alt-5ad635a571736

A Brief History of 'Potshot'

Duck, or you might be dinner

alt-5ad5fb45b0494

What Is a 'Thirst Trap'?

A tall drink of water

Ask the Editors

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066

Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

Odd Habits and Quirks Quiz

Test your knowledge of strange human behaviors.

Take the quiz

cats-on-impossible-timber

More Confusing Words—Quiz

How many of these commonly confused words do you know?

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

Bee Cubed

Listen to the words and spell through all three levels.

Play the game