figure skating: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples

It is standardly written as two words (figure skating). It is hyphenated when used as a compound modifier before a noun (e.g., figure-skating competition).

Figure skating focuses on jumps, spins, and athletic lifts. Ice dancing emphasizes intricate footwork, rhythm, and dance holds, and traditionally does not include the high throws and jumps seen in pairs figure skating.

Yes. Figure skates have a set of large, jagged teeth called toe picks at the front of the blade, which are used for pushing off into jumps and spins. The blade is also curved to facilitate turns.

It originates from the original compulsory 'figures' or patterns (like circles and figure eights) that skaters had to trace precisely on the ice. This element was a major part of competitions until the 1990s.

A sport in which individuals or pairs perform choreographed routines of jumps, spins, and other movements on ice skates, often to music.

Figure skating is usually formal, technical, journalistic in register.

Figure skating: in British English it is pronounced /ˈfɪɡə ˌskeɪtɪŋ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈfɪɡjər ˌskeɪtɪŋ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.