as in retreating
to hasten away from something dangerous or frightening
we skedaddled as soon as we saw the snake entering our campsite
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skedaddling
Verb
-
At the opening, Natalie, bored and filled with loathing for her parents, flees her family home by retreating into imaginary worlds of vivid, eroticized violence.—
Erin Somers,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026 -
Even with state and federal backing, developers are retreating and selling properties, signaling that grassroots activism is fundamentally reshaping Big Tech’s expansion strategy.—
Marc Levy,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene, officials said.—
Alexandra Koch , Bill Melugin , Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hall was in net when Boston's Bobby Orr scored in overtime to win the Cup for the Bruins in 1970, a goal that's among the most famous in hockey history because of the flying through the air celebration that followed.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
While some travelers praise the trend for reducing stress and avoiding baggage fees, others say flying without bags is unrealistic for longer trips or work travel.—
Kelly McGreal,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Moments later, bodycam video shows Hairston suddenly bolting from deputies, stumbling into the road and engaging in a struggle with deputies.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The police footage shows the man turning and bolting away from officers before quickly tripping over his own feet just a few steps past his car.—
Sean Neumann,
PEOPLE,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Mayor Armin Mizani, who is running for Texas House District 98, had sought to make Keller the first city in the nation to codify a ban on Islam’s legal system.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Jan. 2026
-
DeRozan received the pass, took one dribble and tried a running 29-foot 3-pointer that clanked off the back rim and the Kings lost, 100-98.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Her grandfather, George Craig, had made his way there after escaping enslavement with the aid of John Brown, and was working as a barber in the town of Grinnell.—
Scott Simon,
NPR,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Regardless of our paths — whether that meant escaping war in Ethiopia or being the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors — many of us labor under the belief that this work requires us to commit to the ideals of this nation and not the indignation and nightmare of the insurrection.—
Sarah Ghermay,
Washington Post,
6 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Skedaddling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skedaddling. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share