skitter

American

[skit-er] / ˈskɪt ər /

verb (used without object)

to go, run, or glide lightly or rapidly.
to skim along a surface.
Angling. to draw a lure or a baited hook over the water with a skipping motion.

verb (used with object)

to cause to skitter.

skitter British

/ ˈskɪtə /

verb

to move or run rapidly or lightly; scamper
to skim or cause to skim lightly and rapidly, as across the surface of water
(intr) angling to draw a bait lightly over the surface of water

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of skitter

1835–45; skit, variant of skite ¹ + -er ⁶

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Then I heard a mouse—a rat? —skitter off to my right.

From Literature

A dried leaf falls and skitters across the floor, under our table.

From Literature

But Tansy was skittering down the slick weeds toward the ditch.

From Literature

Then our eyes skittered to the other counters, where customers were freely trying on jewelry and gloves.

From Literature

The size of a golf ball, skittering past me on the ground, coming from behind.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023