scarper
Americanverb (used without object)
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of scarper
First recorded in 1845–50; originally argot, probably from Polari, ultimately from Italian scappare “to flee,” from Vulgar Latin excappāre (unattested); escape
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.
She said they had heard loud music coming from inside and saw someone in the flat approach, but then "scarper" away.
From BBC
Yet here’s this woman seemingly scarpering like the most unreliable Casanova at the first indication that she might be called on to provide elevated investment in the relationship.
From The Guardian
In some cases, fraudsters have been known to rent a shed from an unsuspecting landlord, fill it to the brim with mattresses – and scarper.
From The Guardian
Throughout our conversation, he has been charming company while also giving the impression of a runner on the starting blocks, poised to scarper the second he hears the pistol.
From The Guardian
The other, at home to Fulham, feels like a huge game if the Saints are to scarper clear of the relegation zone they find themselves back in.
From The Guardian
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.