Skate Meaning
/skeɪt/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA runner or blade, usually of steel, with a frame shaped to fit the sole of a shoe, made to be fastened under the foot, and used for gliding on ice.
nounEllipsis of ice skate.
Sentence Examples
It's so cold that we can skate.
You need to have strong thigh muscles to skate.
CEFR Practice Quiz
When the pond froze last night, we were able to ____ across the ice this morning.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
During the winter, many people go to the frozen lake to ____ on the ice.
Word Origin & History
Back-formation from Dutch schaats, from Middle Dutch schāetse, from Old Northern French escache (“a stilt, trestle”) (compare French échasse and English scatch), from a Germanic language, perhaps Frankish *skakkjā (“stilt”, literally “thing that moves”), related to *skakan (“to shake, swing”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Addressing a short pass from Henderson, he always felt too smart for Mykola Matviyenko, taking a step to lure him one way; dropping his shoulder and skating in the other direction, further inside."
— March 26 2023, David Hytner, “Kane and Bukayo Saka combine against Ukraine for England’s perfect Euros start”, in The Guardian:
"The fishermen crowding in the cafés were also waiting for the end of the storm, when the fish, reassured, would rise to the surface after the bait. Soles, hog fish and skate were returning from their nocturnal expeditions. Day was now breaking."
— 1952, Nikos Kazantzakis, chapter 1, in Carl Wildman, transl., Zorba the Greek, New York, N.Y.: Simon & Schuster, translation of Βίος και πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά [Víos kai politeía tou Aléxi Zormpá], →ISBN, page 3:
"Other deep creatures now being harvested or targeted as seafood include rattails, skates, squid, red crabs, orange roughy, black oreos, smooth oreos, hoki, blue ling, southern blue whiting, sablefish, black scabbard fish and spiny dogfish."
— 1995 December 26, William J. Broad, “Creatures of the Deep Find Their Way to the Table”, in The New York Times:
"I opt for skate, which comes with a Champagne sauce, and a glass of Californian Pinot Gris."
— 2025 September 13, Daniel Thomas, “Lunch with the FT: Shonda Rhimes”, in FT Weekend (Life & Arts section), London: The Financial Times Ltd., →ISSN, →OCLC, page 3:
"But 'Skate' fans ended the series quite disappointed in him, as it seems that even after leaving with Kate, they couldn't be together."
— 2010, Robert Dougherty, Lost: It Only Ends Once: An Unofficial Last Look, page 294:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
When the pond froze last night, we were able to ____ across the ice this morning.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
During the winter, many people go to the frozen lake to ____ on the ice.