scat

¹ American  

[skat] / skæt /

verb (used without object)

Informal.

scatted, scatting

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

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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.

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noun

1. scat singing.

scat ³ American  

[skat] / skæt /

noun

1. the excrement of a wild animal.

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scat ⁴ American  

[skat] / skæt /

noun

Slang.

1. heroin.

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scat ⁵ American  

[skat] / skæt /

Or scatt

noun

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

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scat- ⁶ American  

1. variant of scato- before a vowel.

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scat ¹ British  

/ skæt /

noun

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

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verb

1. (intr) to sing jazz in this way

scat ² British  

/ skæt /

verb

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

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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

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scat ⁴ British  

/ skæt /

noun

1. an animal dropping

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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

For the last decade, wildlife biologists have been using remote cameras and scat surveys to track the movements of the fox in the southern Sierra.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 10, 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

They also have the potential to help restore balance in an ecosystem that once relied on the apex predator as gardeners — tilling soils for plants and dispersing seeds through their scat.

From Seattle Times • May 6, 2024

But I bet I could make a new kind of jazz dancing that goes better with scat.

From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds