ski

1 of 2

noun

ˈskē 

British sometimes

ˈshē 

plural skis also ski

1

a

: one of a pair of narrow strips of wood, metal, or plastic curving upward in front that are used especially for gliding over snow

b

: water ski

2

: a piece of material that resembles a ski and is used as a runner on a vehicle

ski

2 of 2

verb

skied ˈskēd  ˈshēd  ; skiing

intransitive verb

: to glide on skis in travel or as a sport

transitive verb

: to travel or pass over on skis

skiable

ˈskē-ə-bəl 

adjective

skier noun

Examples of ski in a Sentence

Verb

I have skied that mountain before.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Explore a ghost town called Ashcroft, that’s just south of Aspen and has past lives as a silver mining town in the 1880s and then had a reprisal as a ski resort development. — Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Alterra is behind the Ikon Pass and owns 19 North American ski resorts, including Steamboat Springs and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado. — Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 27 July 2026

Verb

In 7-on-7 work, Chau Smith-Wade jumped a crossing route and skied for the ball to intercept quarterback Bryce Young. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 24 July 2026

People come to Colorado to ski, hike, and bike in the mountains. — Evie Carrick, Travel + Leisure, 19 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Norwegian, from Old Norse skīth stick of wood, ski; akin to Old English scīd board, scēadan to divide — more at shed entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1755, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

circa 1890, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing ski

• après-ski
• ski boot
• ski cross
• ski jump
• ski lift
• ski mask
• ski patrol
• ski pole
• ski run
• ski touring
• ski tow
• water ski

Rhymes for ski

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• glee
• he

Kids Definition

ski

1 of 2 noun

ˈskē 

plural skis

: one of a pair of narrow strips of wood, metal, or plastic curving upward in front that are used for gliding over snow or water

ski

2 of 2 verb

skied; skiing

: to glide on skis

skier noun

Etymology

Noun

from Norwegian ski "a ski," from an early Norse word skīth "a stick of wood"