skitter

verb

skit·​ter ˈski-tər 

skittered; skittering; skitters

intransitive verb

1

a

: to glide or skip lightly or quickly

b

: to move in or as in a jittery or jerky way

leaves skittering over the sidewalk

2

: to twitch the hook of a fishing line through or along the surface of water

transitive verb

: to cause to skitter

Examples of skitter in a Sentence

Dry leaves skittered over the sidewalk.

Mice skittered across the floor.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Pomeranian munchkins in Munchkinland skitter around, sniffing wagging butts. — Emma Madden, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Its angular post-bop vibes featured Blanchard and Garrett skittering over the rhythm section’s cool feel. — Peter Larsen, Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026

Even when House of the Dragon is at its best, the prophecy skitters in to make a muck of things. — Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

The first half had been defined by a kind of skittering physicality; Volpato moved through the field with the ball seemingly attached to his foot. — Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 1 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably frequentative of English dialect (Scots and northern) skite to move quickly, probably from Old Norse skyt-, stem of skjōta to shoot

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Rhymes for skitter

• bitter
• critter
• fitter
• fritter
• glitter
• hitter
• jitter
• knitter
• litter
• quitter
• ritter
• splitter

Kids Definition

skitter

verb

skit·​ter ˈskit-ər 

: to glide or skip lightly or quickly : skim along a surface