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
-
King co-anchored the morning news show with Anthony Mason and Tony Dokoupil from May 2019 until Mason departed in August 2021.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The shadowing stopped once both had departed the PMZ eastward.—
Ryan Chan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Madsen exited the game midway through the first quarter with an injury, and Boise State lost 30-7, its offense reaching new levels of futility — and hearing a lot of boos from a restless crowd.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Photographs showed someone walking alongside Bill and Hillary Clinton, carrying the device as the couple exited the airport.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The buttery-soft fabric is lightweight and stretchy enough to move with you while still retaining its shape over time.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Oct. 2025
-
On top of that responsibility and stress, he was frustrated with the Blazers’ losing and his role moving forward.—
Jason Quick,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Its share price collapsed a few months after going public, losing a third of its value since the start of the year before Monday's news.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The honks of wild Canada geese, for instance, fresh out of the Arctic and now high in the clouds going south, signal a change in seasons for me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Helm rises too, goes as high as possible, gets a little giddy (there are upper limits to Helm’s domain).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The Joe Gibbs Racing driver, Hamlin, then went to pit for four new tires while Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson only got two which placed him in fifth position ahead of Hamlin, who was in 10th.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scarper.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scarper. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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