as in scurried
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 skittered
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
Gu skittered off the first rail and toppled to her side, dashing her title hopes.
—Joseph Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
The two tuxedo cats skittered uneasily away from her, afraid of what kind of chaos this toddling creature would bring into their lives.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 7 Feb. 2026
Smaller critters — hermit crabs, lightning whelks and snails — skittered along the seafloor.
—Max Chesnes, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
But Pastrnak had already headed up ice and the puck skittered into no-man’s land.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 2025
Bats were flipped, benches cleared, Toronto’s manager was ejected and throws skittered around PNC Park.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Rumors of a Satanic curse on the event skittered around the Haight, so early on the morning of the 14th, Ginsberg, Snyder, and Alan Watts conducted a pradakshina, a Buddhist purification rite.
—Dennis McNally, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
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
Gu skittered off the first rail and toppled to her side, dashing her title hopes.
—Joseph Wilson, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
The two tuxedo cats skittered uneasily away from her, afraid of what kind of chaos this toddling creature would bring into their lives.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 7 Feb. 2026
Smaller critters — hermit crabs, lightning whelks and snails — skittered along the seafloor.
—Max Chesnes, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
But Pastrnak had already headed up ice and the puck skittered into no-man’s land.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 24 Dec. 2025
Bats were flipped, benches cleared, Toronto’s manager was ejected and throws skittered around PNC Park.
—Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2025
Rumors of a Satanic curse on the event skittered around the Haight, so early on the morning of the 14th, Ginsberg, Snyder, and Alan Watts conducted a pradakshina, a Buddhist purification rite.
—Dennis McNally, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittered
Verb
-
Pip scurried over to take a seat on my foot.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Lee, who had extended his hitting streak to 16 games the at-bat before, scurried back to first base.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The next inning, the Rays’ Ben Williamson hit a two-out single to Tucker in right field, and Tampa’s Jonathan Aranda darted around third toward home.—
Liana Handler
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
-
But instead of trying to run out more time or take a foul, Fox darted to the basket and attempted a lay-up, which Anunoby blocked.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
The two were often seen with what appeared to be unwashed, exposed roots that fluttered into beach waves down their backs.—
Kaleigh Werner,
Footwear News,
12 June 2026
-
The next day, a black flag fluttered by the hospital entrance to mourn those killed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 June 2026
Verb
-
With thousands of dejected Spain supporters trudging past, fans of the Blue Sharks danced in celebration as supporters of other countries high fived and embraced them.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
16 June 2026
-
Legendary ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, uber-socialite Nan Kempner, and fellow fashion designers Halston, Donna Karan, and Oscar de la Renta sipped champagne from crystal stemware and danced the night away on the main deck.—
Serena Turner,
Vanity Fair,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skittered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittered. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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