as in scurrying
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 skittering
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
Instead of skittering off, the hot droplets start sticking and seeping into the surface texture, and leave wet patches behind.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
Ward put the Kings back ahead early in the second, banking in a skittering shot off the far post for his first goal of the season.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Ward put the Kings back ahead early in the second, banking in a skittering shot off Quick's far post for his first goal of the season.
—CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
Surprisingly, there are plenty of birds soaring, skittering, and swooping in the air at this time of year.
—Kier Holmes, Martha Stewart, 18 Jan. 2026
My nights were filled with the thumping of someone else’s dirty clothes and the feeling of something skittering across my leg.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The failure of Hollywood’s first take on Godzilla, which reimagined this towering icon into a skittering lizard that was clearly aping more from Jurassic Park than any of the kaiju films that came before it, positioned the start of Godzilla’s third era as something of a return to form.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The trout went nuts over the little black mice skittering on the ice, so Olthuis kept the camera going while Cort hooked fish after fish.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 4 Dec. 2025
Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 5 Mar. 2026
Instead of skittering off, the hot droplets start sticking and seeping into the surface texture, and leave wet patches behind.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 24 Feb. 2026
Ward put the Kings back ahead early in the second, banking in a skittering shot off the far post for his first goal of the season.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Ward put the Kings back ahead early in the second, banking in a skittering shot off Quick's far post for his first goal of the season.
—CBS News, 20 Jan. 2026
Surprisingly, there are plenty of birds soaring, skittering, and swooping in the air at this time of year.
—Kier Holmes, Martha Stewart, 18 Jan. 2026
My nights were filled with the thumping of someone else’s dirty clothes and the feeling of something skittering across my leg.
—Literary Hub, 16 Jan. 2026
The failure of Hollywood’s first take on Godzilla, which reimagined this towering icon into a skittering lizard that was clearly aping more from Jurassic Park than any of the kaiju films that came before it, positioned the start of Godzilla’s third era as something of a return to form.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
The trout went nuts over the little black mice skittering on the ice, so Olthuis kept the camera going while Cort hooked fish after fish.
—Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 4 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittering
Verb
-
Your eyes may see the prairie dogs digging and scurrying.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
-
An over-excited group of fans celebrated the two saves by breaking a pane of glass behind the Kings bench, sending the coaches scurrying and pausing the game for several minutes as workmen repaired the damage.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The streaker managed to dodge several security guards, darting onto the iconic steps before being tackled and escorted off the premises.—
Alyssa Modos,
PEOPLE,
4 May 2026
-
The others seem to be darting about.—
Andy Court,
CBS News,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Kick your legs in small up-and-down fluttering motions while keeping your lower back flat and abs tight throughout.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Video from the scene hours after the fire first erupted showed ash fluttering through the air and burned paper in the yards of homes across the street from the warehouse.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But what’s equally important to him is seeing non-Iranians dancing to Iranian music.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
1 May 2026
-
In a video shared on Instagram by Elite Event Robotics, a business that rents human-like robots for events, a child-sized robot could be seen dancing at a Southwest Airlines gate.—
Terry Castleman,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skittering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittering. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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