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Synonyms

hurry-scurry

American  
[hur-ee-skur-ee, huhr-ee-skuhr-ee] / ˈhɜr iˈskɜr i, ˈhʌr iˈskʌr i /
Or hurry-skurry

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.

hurry-scurry British  

adverb

  1. in frantic haste

"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

adjective

  1. hasty and disorderly

"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. disordered haste

"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

verb

  1. to rush about in confusion

"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 hurry-scurry

First recorded in 1725–35

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.

Having been chased hurry-scurry from Kiangsi Province right to the suburbs of Changsha, Hunan, the Chinese turned around and, with a fury they have never shown before, lashed the Japanese back and back.

From Time Magazine Archive

The streets were filled with the hurry-scurry of a moving army, splashing through mud puddles.

From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

The hurry-scurry, the angry hum of recent weeks had departed; a quivering stillness now permeated the premises.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

These were made mostly in the form of reflections, conjectures, hopes, and fears; hurry-scurry of pursuit had no doubt broken the immediate record of events, and these had been entered next day in the train.

From The Rome Express by Griffiths, Arthur

Pao-yü gulped down hurry-scurry the whole contents of the cup and started on his errand in the face of the snow.

From Hung Lou Meng, Book II Or, the Dream of the Red Chamber, a Chinese Novel in Two Books by Joly, H. Bencraft

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