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
The game almost ended on Scott’s first pitch to Bailey when Dodgers catcher Ben Rortvedt made a smothering stop to keep the ball from skittering to the backstop, which, in hindsight, might have been an act of grace for the home team.
—
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
The aforementioned eyeball alien buries itself deep into its prey before popping out and skittering along the floor like the world’s loudest spider.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
The aforementioned eyeball alien buries itself deep into its prey before popping out and skittering along the floor like the world’s loudest spider.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for skittering
Verb
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After scurrying through passengers, the scared kitten ended up in the arms of New York native Betsaida Mercado, who picked up the feline and took her home.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
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Enjoy the native coastal vegetation and assorted small animals scurrying to prepare for winter.—
Allison Tibaldi,
USA Today,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Inevitably, someone ended up swinging a quilt around to mimic the great snake’s darting heads and churning coils.—
Seamus Sullivan
September 29,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
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Their direct running, with pace and purpose, darting into spaces, meant Liverpool were under pressure from the speed with which Palace moved the ball in transition.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Sitting at the base of the Rocky Mountains, the village is known for its year-round recreation and ubiquitous aspen trees, which make a stunning (albeit short) shift from fluttering green to bright yellow and orange with hints of red.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
26 Sep. 2025
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Yet there is still a whiff of old-fashioned British grandeur about the production, with its fluttering pennants, Norman kite shields, and mounted knights.—
Will Collins,
The Washington Examiner,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Quit dancing around the dialogue as Mercury and Chiron clash.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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The clip finds Meg rocking camo pants, tan boots and a wool hat while dancing to the track in the studio.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Skittering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittering. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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