Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense skates, present participle skating, past tense, past participle skatedlanguage note: The plural skate is used in meaning [sense 4].
1. countable noun
Skates are ice-skates.
2. countable noun
Skates are roller-skates.
3. verb
If you skate, you move about wearing ice-skates or roller-skates.
I actually skated, and despite some teetering I did not fall on the ice. [VERB]
Dan skated up to him. [VERB adverb/preposition]
[Also VERB noun]
skatinguncountable noun
They all went skating together in the winter.
skaterWord forms: plural skaterscountable noun
West Lake, an outdoor ice-skating rink, attracts skaters during the day and night.
4. countable noun
A skate is a kind of flat sea fish.
Boats had plenty of mackerel and a few skate.
Skate is this fish eaten as food.
5. verb
If you skateover or round a difficult subject, you avoid discussing it.
Scientists have tended to skate over the difficulties of explaining dreams. [VERB + over]
When pressed, he skates around the subject of those women who he met as a 19-year-old. [V + round/around]
skate in British English1
(skeɪt)
noun
1. roller skate, ice skate
2.
the steel blade or runner of an ice skate
3.
such a blade fitted with straps for fastening to a shoe
4.
a current collector on an electric railway train that collects its current from a third rail
Compare bow collector
5. get one's skates on
verb(intransitive)
6.
to glide swiftly on skates
7.
to slide smoothly over a surface
8. skate on thin ice
Word origin
C17: via Dutch from Old French éschasse stilt, probably of Germanic origin
skate in British English2
(skeɪt)
nounWord forms: pluralskate or skates
any large ray of the family Rajidae, of temperate and tropical seas, having flat pectoral fins continuous with the head, two dorsal fins, a short spineless tail, and a long snout
Word origin
C14: from Old Norse skata
skate in British English3
(skeɪt)
noun
US slang
a person; fellow
Word origin
from Scottish and northern English dialect skate, a derogatory term of uncertain origin
skate in American English1
(skeɪt)
noun
1.
a.
a bladelike metal runner mounted in a frame having clamps and straps for fastening it to the sole of a shoe and used for gliding on ice
b.
a shoe with such a runner permanently attached
also ice skate
2.
a similar frame or shoe with a pair of small wheels near the toe and another pair at the heel, for gliding on a hardwood floor, sidewalk, etc.
: also roller skate
3.
in-line skate
4.
the act or a period of skating
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈskated or ˈskating
5.
to move along or glide on or as on skates
Derived forms
skater (ˈskater)
noun
Word origin
taken as sing. of earlier skates < Du schaats, a skate, stilt < NormFr escache < OFr eschace, stilt, crutch < Frank *skatja, stilt
skate in American English2
(skeɪt)
nounWord forms: pluralskates or skate
any ray fish (esp. order Rajiformes)
often used as the name for the larger commercial species
Word origin
ME scate < ON skata
skate in American English3
(skeɪt)
noun Slang, Obsolete
1. US
a broken-down horse; nag
2.
a person
now only in good skate, a congenial, likable person
More idioms containing
skate
skate on thin ice
Examples of 'skate' in a sentence
skate
If any sharp mining lawyer tried to skate around the ownership he would have to come up against the Indian Affairs Department.
Wood, Ted FOOLS GOLD (2003)
"Even with evidence there'd be a good chance you'd skate on charges," Post said.
Gregg Hurwitz THE KILL CLAUSE (2003)
Word lists with
skate
Types of fish
In other languages
skate
British English: skate /skeɪt/ VERB
If you skate, you move about wearing ice-skates or roller-skates.
She skated up to him.
American English: skate
Arabic: يَتَزَلَّجُ
Brazilian Portuguese: patinar
Chinese: 滑冰
Croatian: voziti se na skateboardu
Czech: bruslit
Danish: skøjte
Dutch: schaatsen
European Spanish: patinar
Finnish: luistella
French: patiner
German: eislaufen
Greek: παγοδρομώ
Italian: pattinare
Japanese: スケートをする
Korean: 스케이트
Norwegian: gå på skøyter
Polish: jeździć na łyżwach
European Portuguese: patinar
Romanian: a patina
Russian: кататься на коньках
Latin American Spanish: patinar
Swedish: åka skridskor
Thai: เล่นสเก็ต
Turkish: paten
Ukrainian: кататися на ковзанах
Vietnamese: trượt băng
British English: skate NOUN
Skates are ice-skates.
American English: skate
Brazilian Portuguese: esqui
Chinese: 冰鞋
European Spanish: patín
French: patin
German: Schlittschuh
Italian: pattino da ghiaccio
Japanese: アイススケート靴
Korean: 아이스스케이트
European Portuguese: esqui
Latin American Spanish: patín
All related terms of 'skate'
bob skate
an ice skate with two parallel blades
ice skate
Ice-skates are boots with a thin metal bar underneath that people wear to move quickly on ice.
grey skate
a species of skate , Dipturus batis
skate over
to cross on or as if on skates
skate park
a park or area built for people to ride on skateboards in
figure-skate
to take part in figure skating
roller skate
Roller-skates are shoes with four small wheels on the bottom .
in-line skate
a kind of roller skate having wheels arranged in a line like a blade from toe to heel
long-nosed skate
a fish ; Raja oxyrinchus
skate on thin ice
to get into a difficult situation which may have serious or unpleasant consequences
skateboard park
a park or area built for people to ride on skateboards in