Jump To:

• scat
  scat

  verb (used without object)

  to go off hastily (often used in the imperative).
• scat-
  scat-

  variant of scato- before a vowel.

scat

¹ American  

[skat] / skæt /

verb (used without object)

Informal.

scatted, scatting

1. to go off hastily (often used in the imperative).

---

scat ² American  

[skat] / skæt /

verb (used without object)

scatted, scatting

1. to sing by making full or partial use of the technique of scat singing, in which the singer substitutes improvised nonsense syllables for the words of a song.

---

noun

1. scat singing.

scat ³ American  

[skat] / skæt /

noun

1. the excrement of a wild animal.

---

scat ⁴ American  

[skat] / skæt /

noun

Slang.

1. heroin.

---

scat ⁵ American  

[skat] / skæt /

Or scatt

noun

1. (in the Shetland and Orkney Islands) a crown tax, as for use of common lands.

---

scat- ⁶ American  

1. variant of scato- before a vowel.

---

scat ¹ British  

/ skæt /

noun

1. a type of jazz singing characterized by improvised vocal sounds instead of words

---

verb

1. (intr) to sing jazz in this way

scat ² British  

/ skæt /

verb

1. informal (intr; usually imperative) to go away in haste

---

scat ³ British  

/ skæt /

noun

1. any marine and freshwater percoid fish of the Asian family Scatophagidae, esp Scatophagus argus, which has a beautiful coloration

---

scat ⁴ British  

/ skæt /

noun

1. an animal dropping

---

Etymology

Origin of scat¹

An Americanism dating back to 1865–70; of uncertain origin

Origin of scat²

First recorded in 1925–30; of uncertain origin

Origin of scat³

First recorded in 1925–30; origin uncertain; compare British dialect (southwestern) scat “to scatter, fling down, bespatter”; Greek skat- (stem of skôr “dung”; see scato-) is an unlikely source, given popular character of the word and unmotivated derivation pattern

Origin of scat⁴

First recorded in 1945–50; of uncertain origin; compare earlier scat (slang) “whiskey”

Origin of scat⁵

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse skattr “tax, treasure”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scat scatted scatting

“But she’s not a scat singer. She improvises more in the technique of the Baroque period, expanding and contracting phrases or adding trills that deviate from the melody.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

If there are additional sightings, he hopes that scientists will take a genetic sample from its scat or another source, which they could analyze to learn more about its ancestry.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 20, 2026

Newly christened, she became known for scat singing, a vocal style that originated with ragtime - which enabled her to improvise melodies using her voice as an instrument.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2025

For music, the show has an original score by the veteran trombonist Craig Harris, played by a jazz band that includes three vocalists who do sometimes scat.

From New York Times ● Jun. 17, 2024

Watching that concert was like the first time hearing Ella Fitzgerald scat, Kendrick Lamar spit, or Jazmine Sullivan riff: observing a thing of beauty.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

“I don’t know what happened,” Manley said, describing the improv session, “but I’m telling you, I blacked out and bee-bopped and scatted all over that room, like George Costanza would say.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025

On “Bebop,” by his mentor Dizzy Gillespie, El’Zabar scatted the melody along with the horns.

From Washington Post ● Feb. 17, 2022

One scatted like a jazz singer, another embodied hip-hop, another the smooth and swiveling hip movements of a salsa.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2016

The beautiful public baths, just off Twenty-third Street on Asser Levy Place, across from Peter Cooper Village, are like a pun on the defeat of the rebel forces that scatted here, headed north.

From The New Yorker ● Dec. 25, 2015

So they scatted out the back, Lizzie still dripping now and again.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

Here, Fay Victor, a uniquely daring and creative singer, adorns her vocal with all manner of creaking, wailing, moaning and scatting, yet she maintains Bey’s feeling of directing a congregation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

The first rule of ZAZ-style comedy is that you can’t ever appear like you’re in on the joke, which Anderson edges close to once when she breaks into a scatting jazz number.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2025

Both nights, he did a minute or so of something like vocal scatting, conversational patterns in a nonsense language.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

Scooby-Doo’s name came from Silverman, who had heard Frank Sinatra scatting “doo-be-doo-be-doo” on a recording of “Strangers in the Night,” and whose own name was used for Fred, the group’s ascot-wearing leader.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 13, 2020

Okay, but after that, I'm scatting on the world, like a scoobidee doo day deeeee.

From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds