Rollerblading is gliding along pavement on special boots with wheels arranged in a single line down the center, like a blade. Unlike traditional roller skates, which have four wheels in a square pattern (two in front, two in back), rollerblades have three, four, or five wheels in a row, which lets you move faster and turn more sharply.

The proper name for the sport is inline skating. The wheels being in line makes rollerblades work more like ice skates, which is why inline skating became popular with hockey players who wanted to practice during summer.

People rollerblade for exercise, transportation, or just for fun. You might see someone rollerblading to work, practicing tricks at a skate park, or racing along a bike path. Learning to rollerblade takes practice: you need good balance, and you have to learn how to stop safely (there's usually a brake pad on the back of one boot). Most beginners wear knee pads, elbow pads, and wrist guards until they get comfortable.

When someone uses rollerblade as a verb, they mean skating on rollerblades: “We rollerbladed around the park for an hour.”