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

Ward put the Kings back ahead early in the second, banking in a skittering shot off the far post for his first goal of the season. —Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026

Ward put the Kings back ahead early in the second, banking in a skittering shot off Quick's far post for his first goal of the season. —CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026

Surprisingly, there are plenty of birds soaring, skittering, and swooping in the air at this time of year. —Kier Holmes, Martha Stewart, 18 Jan. 2026

My nights were filled with the thumping of someone else’s dirty clothes and the feeling of something skittering across my leg. —Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 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