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
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
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
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
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
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
-
Like a vibrantly hued snake darting down the narrow branch of a tree, the collective of high-performance automobiles rapidly navigates the narrow, serpentine artery along the Northeastern Italian coast, a quicksilver-like tracing of the border between Il Bel Paese and Slovenia.—
Viju Mathew,
Robb Report,
11 May 2026
-
And so quickly darting into the air on seats supported by scaffolding is not an easy proposition for the mind to overcome.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
9 May 2026
Verb
-
Fungus Gnats These 1/8-inch-long delicate-looking gnats may be seen flying near the soil surface of houseplants or fluttering around the house (they’re attracted to light).—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
28 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
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Even in the midst of that sweltering Lagos day of thumping car music and raucous engines and the truck that honked at her for dancing too close, Miriam’s squeal stood out, a siren.—
‘Pemi Aguda,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
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As the beat dropped, the friends jumped into action — tossing pink flower petals, dancing and laughing before embracing at a glam station.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
5 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Skittering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/skittering. Accessed 15 May. 2026.
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