The word skate has two main meanings:

1. To glide smoothly across ice or a smooth surface on special shoes with blades or wheels. Ice skating uses metal blades attached to boots to slide across frozen water, while roller skating uses boots with wheels to roll across pavement or wooden floors. Figure skaters perform graceful jumps and spins on ice, and hockey players skate fast while chasing the puck. When someone's really good at skating, they make it look effortless, zooming around curves and stopping on a dime.
2. To barely avoid trouble or barely get by with minimal effort. If you skate through a test without studying, you somehow pass despite not being prepared. When someone skates by after breaking a rule, they narrowly escape consequences. A student who does the bare minimum on assignments is skating by in class. This meaning suggests getting lucky rather than earning success through hard work.