A skater is someone who glides across surfaces on skates. The word usually refers to ice skaters, who wear special boots with thin metal blades attached to the bottom, or roller skaters and inline skaters, who wear boots with wheels. Figure skaters perform elegant jumps and spins on ice, while hockey players use their skating skills to race around the rink and compete for the puck. Skateboarders, who ride boards with wheels, are also called skaters.

Learning to skate takes practice and courage. At first, your ankles wobble and you cling to the wall or a friend's hand. But with time, skating becomes natural, almost like flying across the ground. Professional skaters make difficult moves look effortless, whether they're landing a triple axel on ice or grinding down a skateboard rail.

The word skater can also describe someone's whole identity and style, especially in skateboarding. When you call someone a skater, you might mean they're part of skateboarding culture, with its own music, fashion, and attitude of creative independence.