as in to scurry
to move quickly and lightly along a surface
Dry leaves skittered over the sidewalk. Mice skittered across the floor.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of skitter
While massive dinosaurs stomped around during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, these little creatures were skittering around under their feet.
—
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025
However, a player from each team had faced off, the linesman dropped the puck, it then got deflected by Abbotsford and skittered back into the goal.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 June 2025
In an early scene, he is set upon by a shrieking, skittering swarm of creepers—imagine giant, whitish pill bugs with huge mandibles—and expects to be devoured (and resurrected) within seconds.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
There’s nothing animatronic about the crabs skittering in the turquoise surf on the southeastern tip of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
—Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skitter
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025
However, a player from each team had faced off, the linesman dropped the puck, it then got deflected by Abbotsford and skittered back into the goal.
—Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 14 June 2025
In an early scene, he is set upon by a shrieking, skittering swarm of creepers—imagine giant, whitish pill bugs with huge mandibles—and expects to be devoured (and resurrected) within seconds.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 28 Feb. 2025
There’s nothing animatronic about the crabs skittering in the turquoise surf on the southeastern tip of Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
—Mark Gauert, Sun Sentinel, 20 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skitter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skitter
Verb
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In the tall-grass prairies that once spread out across pre-settlement Indiana, tiny ground squirrels scurried through the wildflowers, grasses and shrubs.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
21 Aug. 2025
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Brett Ryan, aided by Robbie Carter’s young daughter, scurried to place markers at the sites of the longest throws, before chucking the corpses back to the starting line.—
Nathaniel Rich,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Three flies darted around near the back door.—
David J. Neal,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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And Bryce Harper made a play on a bunt, darting into the infield and throwing the ball to Alec Bohm at third for a force-out to keep runners on first and second.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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At a time when most goalies were under 6 feet, Dryden was a towering 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, but still had nimble feet to dance around the net and kick pucks into the corners.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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Once a month, guests come together to dance under the night sky at its legendary full moon parties.—
Teaghan Skulszki,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Aronofsky has, since the grittiness of Pi and Requiem for a Dream, flitted with alacrity from genre to genre, trying his hand at biblical epics (Noah) and claustrophobic dramas (The Whale).—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
29 Aug. 2025
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The episode’s first half feels like the work of a misguided pest, and Beto’s filmmaking, which flits between several different styles and cuts between multiple angles sometimes within the course of one interview segment, doesn’t help.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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From November to March, the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve transforms into a vibrant, fluttering kingdom.—
Gaby Keiderling,
Robb Report,
4 Sep. 2025
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Their tops and Tate’s hair fluttered in the breeze of a wind machine absurdly cranked up to Stage 4 hurricane levels.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skitter. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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