hurry-scurry

or hur·ry-skur·ry

[ hur-ee-skur-ee, huhr-ee-skuhr-ee ]
See synonyms for hurry-scurry on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. headlong, disorderly haste; hurry and confusion.

adverb
  1. with hurrying and scurrying.

  2. confusedly; in a bustle.

adjective
  1. characterized by headlong, disorderly flight or haste.

Origin of hurry-scurry

1
First recorded in 1725–35

Words Nearby hurry-scurry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hurry-scurry in a sentence

  • I don't hold with these railways they're talkin' about—all steam and hurry-scurry; it starves the country.'

    Robbery Under Arms | Thomas Alexander Browne, AKA Rolf Boldrewood
  • Small sword and broad sword—staff and stiletto—flankonnade and cannonade—hurry-scurry—right wing and left wing——'

    The Heroine | Eaton Stannard Barrett
  • Please do not think that I would dream of giving you any hurry-scurry trouble.

  • The fact of the matter is that the hurry-scurry of modern civilisation is not conducive to artistic work of any description.

    The Empire of the East | H. B. Montgomery
  • Then the house was all hurry-scurry, preparing for my new master, Sir Murtagh's younger brother, a dashing young officer.

    The World's Greatest Books, Vol IV. | Editors: Arthur Mee and J.A. Hammerton

British Dictionary definitions for hurry-scurry

hurry-scurry

adverb
  1. in frantic haste

adjective
  1. hasty and disorderly

noun
  1. disordered haste

verb(intr)
  1. to rush about in confusion

Origin of hurry-scurry

1
C18: reduplication of hurry; compare helter-skelter

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