I. skate 1 /skeɪt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Sense 1-2,4: Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Dutch ; Origin: schaats 'stilt, skate' , from Old North French escache 'stilt' ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old Norse ; Origin: skata ]
1 . [countable] one of a pair of boots with metal blades on the bottom, for moving quickly on ice SYN ice skate
2 . [countable] one of a pair of boots or frames with small wheels on the bottom, for moving quickly on flat smooth surfaces SYN roller skate
3 . [uncountable and countable] ( plural skate or skates ) a large flat sea fish that can be eaten
4 . get/put your skates on British English spoken used to tell someone to hurry:
Put your skates on, or you’ll be late for school.
II. skate 2 BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
1 . to move on skates:
The children skated on the frozen pond.
2 . be skating on thin ice informal to be doing something that may get you into trouble
—skater noun [countable]
skate over/around something phrasal verb
to avoid mentioning a problem or subject, or not give it enough attention:
The President was accused of skating over the issue of the homeless.