skitter

as in to scurry
to move quickly and lightly along a surface Dry leaves skittered over the sidewalk. Mice skittered across the floor.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of skitter For a new study in the Journal of Experimental Biology, Weiss and her co-authors recorded skittering cricket frogs from above and below the surface at 500 frames per second and then played the videos back much more slowly. Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025 Inch-long cricket frogs also seem to skitter over the surface of water with physics-defying grace. Rohini Subrahmanyam, Scientific American, 30 Jan. 2025 The slow-rolling single with skittering drum machine beats mashed against both mens’ drawling vocals is of a piece with Jelly’s frequent lyrical focus on mental health and his battles with substance use. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 24 Jan. 2025 Several small, unsecured items fell and skittered across the cabin floor. Heather Steinberger, Robb Report, 22 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for skitter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skitter
Verb
  • Large bags of sugar sat unsealed on the tile floor, where cockroaches scurried around day and night.
    Jordan Salama, New Yorker, 5 May 2025
  • James scurried after and hugged both his father and grandfathers' legs.
    Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
Verb
  • McDavid darted around the ice with his usual flair and notched three helpers.
    Daniel Nugent-Bowman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
  • Vacationers who were camping nearby tried to capture the dog, but she got spooked and darted off into the wilderness.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • There’s singing, dancing, bubbles and of course the Hot Dog Dance so synonymous with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
    Eve Chen, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • The music video is no different, with psychedelic graphics, bright colors and dancing Smurfs galore (with Rihanna, 37, playing Smurfette).
    Marina Watts, People.com, 16 May 2025
Verb
  • Visitors can fish, swim, and paddle on Lake Shelby, see native flora and fauna at the Nature Center on Middle Lake, and flit around the Butterfly Garden east of Little Lake.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025
  • Just don’t get too set on a bedtime—the aurora borealis might surprise you by flitting across the sky on a cloudless night.
    Maggie Fuller, AFAR Media, 23 Apr. 2025
Verb
  • His shot from just beyond the left circle deflected off Toronto defenseman Morgan Rielly before fluttering past goaltender Joseph Woll and into the net.
    Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 10 May 2025
  • The red and yellow of Vietnam’s national flag was everywhere in the city — fluttering from buildings, painted on the faces of eager teenagers and on the T-shirts of those who had traveled to the city from all over the country.
    Aniruddha Ghosal, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Skitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skitter. Accessed 23 May. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!