What does skited mean?
Skited is the past tense and past participle of skate, meaning to move or travel while wearing skates. It most often describes travelling across ice on ice skates, though it can also refer to roller skates or inline skates. The word is familiar in descriptions of recreation, sport, and graceful movement across a rink or frozen surface. In the phrase “she skated across the ice,” it conveys both the physical activity and often a sense of ease, balance, or speed. It is used in both British and American English. Although skated is the more usual spelling, skited is also accepted, especially in informal and sporting usage. It should not be confused with skied, which describes movement on skis rather than skates.
verbMoved or travelled on skates, especially ice skates or roller skates. It is the past tense and past participle of skate.
- Moved or travelled on skates.
"She skited across the rink with effortless grace."
"The children skited around the frozen pond."
"He skated to work when the streets were covered in ice."
Skated is the perfect word for gliding on ice or rollerblades, but skied belongs to skis and snow.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does skited come from?
The form skited is formed from the verb skate by adding the regular past-tense ending -ed. Skate ultimately comes through Dutch, from a word associated with a shoe or clog, and the English sense of moving on skates developed from the equipment used for that activity.
Related word forms
How skited is actually used
The standard form is skated. The spelling skited is also accepted, especially in informal or sporting contexts, but it can cause confusion with skied, the past tense of ski.
Easily confused with skited
Skated means moved on skates, whereas skied means moved on skis.