skids; skidded; skidding
: to slide along a road or other surface in an uncontrolled way
The truck skidded on/across the icy road.
The car skidded off the road and into the gully.
He slammed on the brakes, and the car skidded to a halt.
I skidded on the ice and fell.
plural skids
1
: a sudden, uncontrolled sliding movement
The car hit a patch of ice and went into a skid.
The police measured the skid marks [=marks made by a skidding vehicle] on the road.
2
: one of a pair of long narrow parts on which a helicopter or airplane rests
—usually plural
the skids of a helicopter
3
US, sports
: a series of losses that happen one after the other : a losing streak
This victory ends a five-game skid.
4
: pallet sense 1
They loaded the packages onto a skid.
Cite this Entry
“Skid.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/skid. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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