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Synonyms

scamper

American  
[skam-per] / ˈskæm pər /

verb (used without object)

scampers, present (3rd person singular) scampered, past participle, past scampering present participle
  1. to run or go hastily or quickly.

  2. to run playfully about, as a child.


noun

  1. a scampering; a quick run.

scamper British  
/ ˈskæmpə /

verb

  1. to run about playfully

  2. (often foll by through) to hurry quickly through (a place, task, book, etc)

"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

noun

  1. the act of scampering

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Etymology

Origin of scamper

1680–90; obsolete scamp to go ( see scamp) + -er 6

Explanation

To scamper is to move in a hurry. You and your friends might scamper to catch the bus, or your kitten might scamper to catch a mouse. The verb scamper describes something that's moving in disorderly haste, often out of fear or excitement. You might notice that chipmunks scamper the instant your dog goes outside. You can also use scamper as a noun, when you talk about your death-defying scamper across town in an effort to be on time for your first day of work. Scamper was a very popular word in the late 1800s.

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