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
At the center of its narrative is a spiderish monster, all sticks and sockets, appearing briefly before skittering back to its hole.
—
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Of course, the prospect of one of the greatest women’s footballers in history skittering around Bromley on a Saturday lunchtime in front of a smattering of fans inevitably inspires sneers.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 May 2026
JWords takes a different tack on Sound Therapy, embracing gentle synth melodies and pads that take the edge off her skittering drums and pounding basslines.
—Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 11 May 2026
All the scooter-sharing stations were empty on that day, and many of the robots we’d been told to expect skittering around the streets had stayed home to keep their sensors dry.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 4 May 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
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
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 31 May 2026
Of course, the prospect of one of the greatest women’s footballers in history skittering around Bromley on a Saturday lunchtime in front of a smattering of fans inevitably inspires sneers.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 27 May 2026
JWords takes a different tack on Sound Therapy, embracing gentle synth melodies and pads that take the edge off her skittering drums and pounding basslines.
—Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 11 May 2026
All the scooter-sharing stations were empty on that day, and many of the robots we’d been told to expect skittering around the streets had stayed home to keep their sensors dry.
—Tim Stevens, ArsTechnica, 4 May 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittering
Verb
-
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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That’s because the ride has one of the best animatronic figures in SoCal, namely a black cat scurrying across a piano.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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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Roswell visitors spent the weekend surrounded by fluttering wings, native plants, and hands-on learning as the Chattahoochee Nature Center kicked off its annual Flying Colors Butterfly Festival.—
CBS News Atlanta Digital Team,
CBS News,
7 June 2026
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Video showed the Israeli flag fluttering from atop the 900-year-old Beaufort Castle while black smoke billowed from the nearby town of Arnoun.—
Greg Myre,
NPR,
31 May 2026
Verb
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In doing so dancing, much like writing, becomes an act of generational integration and re-membering.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
The video went viral of us just dancing and having fun with the song.—
Lucas Villa,
Rolling Stone,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skittering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittering. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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