scoot
Americanverb (used without object)
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scoots,
present (3rd person singular)
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scooted,
past participle, past
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scooting
present participle
verb (used with object)
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scoots,
present (3rd person singular)
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scooted,
past participle, past
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scooting
present participle
noun
verb
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to go or cause to go quickly or hastily; dart or cause to dart off or away
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to squirt
noun
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the act of scooting
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a squirt
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scootsimple
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scootssimple
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have scootedperfect
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has scootedperfect
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am scootingprogressive
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are scootingprogressive
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is scootingprogressive
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have been scootingperfect progressive
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has been scootingperfect progressive
Past
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scootedsimple
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had scootedperfect
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was scootingprogressive
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were scootingprogressive
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had been scootingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scoot
1750–60; probably < Old Norse skota to push or skjōta to shoot 1
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.
See Examples For:
Though there’s something a little peculiar, in an age of digital verisimilitude, about watching a big-budget movie character scoot around like a Muppet, Favreau was adamant about showcasing the handiwork.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
Then I’ll either get one of them Lime scooters and scoot back home or walk back.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2024
Right then, time for a scoot round the grounds.
From BBC ● Mar. 23, 2024
Whirring turbines bashed fish that attempted to scoot past.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2023
“Hey, you!” said Summer, nudging me so I could scoot over.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
One takes for granted the way the story works—meet cute, dispute, somebody scoots, they troubleshoot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
I have a 3-year-old beagle, and every once in a while he scoots around on his butt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
Andre Esterhuizen scoots down the lefthand touchline, just staying in play, and then delays his pass just enough for Will Porter to hare over the whitewash.
From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2024
She scoots along the floor, as if afloat, paddling with her hands, and she clings to the theater’s walls, as if buffeted by the wind.
From New York Times ● Mar. 5, 2023
Radar scoots out of his seat and into the first bedroom, while I grab the steering wheel and hold it steady, quickly stepping over the kitchen and into the driver’s seat.
From "Paper Towns" by John Green
And he didn’t take it Sunday night in Santa Clara, after his Seahawks scooted away from a helpless New England Patriots team in a one-sided 29-13 win.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 9, 2026
Flanker Karen Paquin scooted in late on to take Canada past the winning margin England had amassed against Australia in Brighton last weekend.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2025
And I scooted back to the Times and passed the story on to the national desk.”
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2025
On the third-down play in question, Palmer caught a short pass from Herbert and scooted forward while on the ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2024
Apparently, Raizel wasn’t entirely pitiless, because she scooted her chair in so I could reach the seat next to her.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Plus, there are other signs that investors are excited—and aren’t scooting away from riskier assets like options and chip stocks.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
Gareth Williams, 33, described how toddler Indie loved "scooting around the house" on her little bike, so decided to buy a child's seat and handlebar to attach to his own bicycle.
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
The latter tension was explored in a Netflix documentary—Alcaraz scooting off to Ibiza after winning the 2024 French Open instead of grinding for Wimbledon grass as his coach hoped.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025
These liquid chambers alternately bulge and elongate, creating a visible and slow wavelike ripple along a worm’s body, scooting it forward.
From Slate ● Mar. 8, 2024
I stand up fast, scooting my chair back.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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.
