skedaddle

verb

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ske·dad·dle | \ ski-ˈda-dᵊl

skedaddled; skedaddling\ ski-ˈdad-liŋ

, -ˈda-dᵊl-iŋ \; skedaddles

Definition of skedaddle

intransitive verb

: to leave immediately : run away, scram I've got to skedaddle or I'll be late. Whenever there was work to be done, he skedaddled. … of the five hundred and sixteen thousand immigrants who had come to Quebec since 1969 some three hundred and twelve thousand took a good look around and skedaddled.— Mordecai Richler … Vietnam, a country that has been virtually closed to foreigners since the last American helicopter skedaddled from the embassy rooftop in 1975.— Stephen O'Shea especially : to flee in a panic Little gray lizards skedaddle from our path. — Wells Tower Though penguins can't outrun a lion, they can skedaddle on land if they really need to. — Diane Ackerman … they took their money and skedaddled as the housing market collapsed. — Bill Saporito

Other Words from skedaddle Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About skedaddle

Other Words from skedaddle

skedaddler \ ski-ˈdad-lər

, -ˈda-dᵊl-ər \ noun, plural skedaddlers

… soldiers running from their units—and civilians running to avoid becoming part of one—were dubbed skedaddlers. — John Boyko

Examples of skedaddle in a Sentence

I've got to skedaddle or I'll be late. we skedaddled as soon as we saw the snake entering our campsite

Recent Examples on the Web Sedan drivers skedaddle like frightened children when this Ranger fills their mirrors. — Scott Oldham, Car and Driver, 28 Aug. 2020 Arsenal have officially confirmed the capture of St Etienne centre back William Saliba, with the Frenchman putting pen to paper on a five-year deal at the Emirates before skedaddling straight back to the Ligue 1 side on loan for 2019/20. — SI.com, 25 July 2019 Somewhere in the midst of all this, the Rev. Ford had skedaddled, leaving Perot and Dawkins to face the music. — Cheryl Hall, Dallas News, 13 July 2019 At a news conference on Tuesday—three days before British Prime Minister Theresa May was set to skedaddle off the world stage forever—the president questioned whether anyone was less than thrilled at his presence. — Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 9 June 2019 Ron's wife, Jan, wanted to pack up and be ready to skedaddle. — Smith Henderson, Popular Mechanics, 11 Jan. 2017 After the car rolled backwards into the street, the two guys inside the car skedaddled. — David J. Neal, miamiherald, 28 Mar. 2018 His wife has skedaddled, but his nosy neighbor (the delightful Diana Bang) is eager to clean his house and enable his quest to track down the woman who was once almost his adoptive sister. — Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times, 8 Feb. 2018 Terry caught a screen-pass on the left side, broke a few tackles and skedaddled 58 yard toward glory. — Aaron Carter, Philly.com, 8 Sep. 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skedaddle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for skedaddle

probably alteration of British dialect scaddle to run off in a fright, from scaddle, adjective, wild, timid, skittish, from Middle English scathel, skadylle harmful, fierce, wild, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse skathi harm — more at scathe