skid

To skid is to move or slide because of a loss of traction, or to decline or deteriorate.

(verb)

When your car goes out of control on a patch of ice and starts slipping along the road, this is an example of a time when you skid.
If you go too fast on a patch of ice and cause your car to slip out of control, this is an example of a time when you skid your car.
If the sales of a company go down from 100 units a month to 5 units a month, this is an example of a time when the sales figures skid.

See skid in Webster's New World College Dictionary

noun

☆ a plank, log, etc., often one of a pair or set, used as a support or as a track upon which to slide or roll a heavy object
a low, movable wooden platform for holding loads or stacks
a runner used in place of a wheel on aircraft landing gear
a sliding wedge or drag used to check the motion of a vehicle by pressure against a wheel
the act of skidding

Origin: Early ModE, prob. < ON skith: see ski

transitive verb skidded, skidding

to brake or lock (a wheel) with a skid
to support with or slide on a skid or skids
☆ to haul, roll, or drag (logs) along a special track or trail, as through a forest
to cause (a wheel, vehicle, etc.) to slide or slip

intransitive verb

to slide without turning, as a wheel when skids or brakes are applied on a slippery surface
to slide or slip sideways, as a vehicle when not gripping the road on ice
to slide sharply downward
Aeron. to slide outward while turning, as a result of failing to bank sufficiently

Related Forms:

See skid in American Heritage Dictionary 4

noun

The act of sliding or slipping over a surface, often sideways.
a. A plank, log, or timber, usually one of a pair, used as a support or as a track for sliding or rolling heavy objects.
b. A pallet for loading or handling goods, especially one having solid sideboards and no bottom.
c. One of several logs or timbers forming a skid road.
skids Nautical A wooden framework attached to the side of a ship to prevent damage, as when unloading.
A shoe or drag applying pressure to a wheel to brake a vehicle.
A runner in the landing gear of certain aircraft.
skids Slang A path to ruin or failure: His career hit the skids. Her life is now on the skids.

verb skid·ded, skid·ding, skids

verb, intransitive

To slide sideways while moving because of loss of traction: The truck skidded on a patch of ice. See Synonyms at slide.
To slide without revolving: wheels skidding on oily pavement.
To move sideways in a turn because of insufficient banking. Used of an airplane.

verb, transitive