ski

1 of 2

noun

ˈskē How to pronounce ski (audio)
 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
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 How to pronounce ski (audio)
ˈshēd
; skiing

intransitive verb

: to glide on skis in travel or as a sport

transitive verb

: to travel or pass over on skis
skiable adjective
skier noun

Examples of ski in a Sentence

Verb I have skied that mountain before.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The most lavish gift in this year’s gift bag is a $50,000, three-night stay at Chalet Zermatt Peak, a ski resort in the Swiss Alps. Jasmine Li, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 At its foot lies the town — part glitzy ski resort, part snowy setting for a fairy tale. Anne Olivia Bauso, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2024 Soon enough the train passed through two different ski resorts and vacationers greeted us by unleashing a barrage of snowballs on the observation car. Javier Panzar, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The addition would be the company's second ski resort in Europe, joining Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, also in Switzerland. Hannah Towey, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Mar. 2024 The storm system that swung into California from the Gulf of Alaska late last week marked the biggest dumping of snow for the Sierra Nevada this season, with remarkable totals at ski resorts across the Lake Tahoe region. Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 Several Lake Tahoe ski resorts closed, and Yosemite National Park visitors were told to leave after California's most powerful storm of the season bore down on the region. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 The ski resort Sierra-at-Tahoe in Twin Bridges shared images with CNN of snow piling up against the door of the resort’s maintenance shop and a car in the resort’s guest parking buried in snow that fell overnight. Susannah Cullinane, CNN, 4 Mar. 2024 Fallon and guest Paul Rudd wax rhapsodic about tiny ski caps. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 28 Feb. 2024
Verb
Holidays in Italy include an annual settimana bianca, or white week, in February, when schools close across the country so families can go skiing. Fiona Sibbett, CNN, 28 Feb. 2024 But former overall champion Federica Brignone got up and skied down. Andrew Dampf, Chicago Tribune, 26 Jan. 2024 My family could have skied the Salamander — a green run that winds along for two miles — all day. Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 9 Feb. 2024 In its early days, steep skiing’s drama had come from the fact that these slopes could be skied at all. Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 1 Feb. 2024 If a snowmobile broke down, Seemann noted that a Seek Outside tent could fit in a backpack so a winter camper could safely ski or snowshoe out for help. Brett French, Idaho Statesman, 31 Jan. 2024 In wintertime, travelers from New York and Massachusetts flock to resorts like Bretton Woods to ski down the White Mountains renowned peaks and cozy up by the fire in the lodges. Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY, 21 Jan. 2024 In fact, anything but the bluest sky and freshest powder does rather prompt a Shakespearean problem: To ski or not to ski? Tom Weijand, Robb Report, 15 Feb. 2024 Ivan Morera — who represented Team U.S.A. in Germany last year — is learning how to ski and snowboard for the upcoming games. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ski.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ski was in 1755

Dictionary Entries Near ski

Cite this Entry

“Ski.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ski. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

ski

1 of 2 noun
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"

More from Merriam-Webster on ski

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