as in to depart
to leave a place often for another
I went looking for Sally at the pub, but she'd scarpered
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Recent Examples of scarper
Taylor Tomlinson will host After Midnight, the show that is replacing The Late Late Show now that James Corden has scarpered off to old Blighty.
—
Vulture, 1 Nov. 2023
Idrissa Gueye has scarpered, but that void was instantly filled by Mainz midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin - while Moise Kean, goodness knows how, has signed from Juventus to sharpen things up front.
—SI.com, 5 Aug. 2019
Ms Collett compares it to the muggy period before a thunderstorm, when the squirrels have scarpered and the air is pregnant with foreboding of trouble ahead.
—The Economist, 21 June 2018
Vulture, 1 Nov. 2023
Idrissa Gueye has scarpered, but that void was instantly filled by Mainz midfielder Jean-Philippe Gbamin - while Moise Kean, goodness knows how, has signed from Juventus to sharpen things up front.
—SI.com, 5 Aug. 2019
Ms Collett compares it to the muggy period before a thunderstorm, when the squirrels have scarpered and the air is pregnant with foreboding of trouble ahead.
—The Economist, 21 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scarper
Verb
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Airport officials project more than 20,000 passengers will depart Louisville by plane the day after Derby 152.—
Leo Bertucci,
Louisville Courier Journal,
5 Feb. 2026
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The 28-year-old fills a void left by center Myles Turner, who departed Indiana in the offseason for a free-agent contract with Milwaukee.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The network previously confirmed that Guthrie would be exiting its Olympics coverage amid the search for her mother.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
6 Feb. 2026
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The intersection is controlled by stop signs, and many vehicles using the area are either getting onto southbound Highway 160 or exiting northbound Highway 160.—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As a politicized national fight over waste, fraud and abuse led by Republicans have targeted California and its Democratic leadership, Bonta and other state officials have moved swiftly to combat the claims.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
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Moreover, the bottle had only ever moved between Burgundy and Bordeaux, a driving distance of roughly 300 miles.—
Pin Yen Tan 9 min ago,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Substitutions will always be scrutinised by supporters when results go badly.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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Michael Hicks weighs in on how a copy‑paste bill has lawmakers going after degrees Indiana doesn’t even offer in his latest op-ed.—
Kurtcia Collazo,
IndyStar,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And the other function of music media is learning more, getting deeper into fandom, learning more about the lives of a lot of musicians, many of whom don’t necessarily need a magazine or music media to put their image out there for them.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
14 Feb. 2026
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This latest iteration, which builds on the 2024 version by adding a voter ID provision, must get 60 votes to pass.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scarper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarper. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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