scamper
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to run or go hastily or quickly.
-
to run playfully about, as a child.
noun
verb
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to run about playfully
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(often foll by through) to hurry quickly through (a place, task, book, etc)
noun
Other Word Forms
- scamperer noun
Etymology
Origin of scamper
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.
Vocabulary lists containing scamper
Where the Red Fern Grows
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Flush
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The Contender
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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.
These dancers—costumed by Camille Assaf in casual-cum-dressy ensembles primarily of blacks and grays—gambol, leap, twirl and scamper about the glossy, often scarlet-lit surface of set and lighting designer François-Pierre Couture’s raised stage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026
A smart kick from Smith switched play to Tom Roebuck, and the Sale wing showed deft footwork to scamper in on the stroke of half-time.
From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026
However, Afsharipour’s 27-yard touchdown scamper pushed the Wildcats’ lead back to two scores early in the fourth quarter.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 13, 2025
They had more runners scamper across the plate during the regular season than anybody other than the star-studded New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025
They scamper out of the room holding hands.
From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
