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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Recent Examples of skitter
On the rare occasions a teammate passed him the ball, Knueppel would duck and let the ball skitter out of bounds.
—
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Iguanas skittered across the dirt; birds and insects filled the air with noise.
—Brigid Washington, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2026
Ice crystals skittered across the plateau, catching in the curve of the sastrugi before blowing free.
—Cree Lefavour, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026
Mites, even when skittering in proximity to your eyeballs, are a totally normal part of your skin’s microbiome, feeding on oil and dead skin cells inside hair follicles.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for skitter
Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026
Iguanas skittered across the dirt; birds and insects filled the air with noise.
—Brigid Washington, Travel + Leisure, 6 Apr. 2026
Ice crystals skittered across the plateau, catching in the curve of the sastrugi before blowing free.
—Cree Lefavour, New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2026
Mites, even when skittering in proximity to your eyeballs, are a totally normal part of your skin’s microbiome, feeding on oil and dead skin cells inside hair follicles.
—Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 5 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for skitter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skitter
Verb
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The only chilly part will be scurrying a few feet from the trailer door into the bathroom and back.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
1 June 2026
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Simply place the bait traps in areas where roaches typically scurry—along baseboards or in corners—and wait.—
Brandi Fuller,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 May 2026
Verb
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Arnaldi turned into some version of Carlos Alcaraz, scrambling all over the court, making miracle saves and darting winners down the line.—
Ava Wallace,
New York Times,
1 June 2026
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In between takes while filming Cocktail (1988), the actor saw costar Elisabeth Shue darting toward a helicopter's tail rotor — which, when in motion, is barely visible and thus instantly lethal.—
Skyler Trepel,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 May 2026
Verb
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Her figures lounged, stood, or in one instance danced in unadorned, nearly empty interiors composed with broad, feathery brushstrokes.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026
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Complete with a red carpet and a dancing humanoid robot, the event could have been mistaken for a science fiction Hollywood premiere.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
6 June 2026
Verb
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Plant hummingbird-friendly flowers for an extra special treat for the bird enthusiasts in your house, then enjoy watching the hummingbirds flit about as songbirds take a dip in the basin.—
Brittany VanDerBill,
Better Homes & Gardens,
2 June 2026
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Upstairs, a disco deep cut plays while Byrd flits about greeting everyone.—
Mike Albo,
Vulture,
2 June 2026
Verb
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Anderson said the warmth helps calm them down stops their eyes from fluttering.—
Sean Krofssik,
Hartford Courant,
29 May 2026
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Advertisement Crossing an overpass into my western suburb of Baghdad, militia flags stamped with Ali Khamenei’s face fluttered in the wind.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skitter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skitter. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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