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• scud
  scud

  verb (used without object)

  to run or move quickly or hurriedly.
• Scud
  Scud

  noun

  a surface-to-surface missile, especially one deployed on a mobile launcher.

scud

¹ American  

[skuhd] / skʌd /

verb (used without object)

scudded, scudding

1. to run or move quickly or hurriedly.

2. Nautical. to run before a gale with little or no sail set.

3. Archery. (of an arrow) to fly too high and wide of the mark.

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noun

1. the act of scudding.

2. clouds, spray, or mist driven by the wind; a driving shower or gust of wind.

3. low-drifting clouds appearing beneath a cloud from which precipitation is falling.

scud ² American  

[skuhd] / skʌd /

verb (used with object)

scudded, scudding

1. to cleanse (a trimmed and roughly depilated skin or hide) of remaining hairs or dirt.

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noun

1. the hairs or dirt removed by scudding.

Scud ³ American  

[skuhd] / skʌd /

Or Scud missile

noun

1. a surface-to-surface missile, especially one deployed on a mobile launcher.

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scud ¹ British  

/ skʌd /

verb

1. (intr) (esp of clouds) to move along swiftly and smoothly

2. (intr) nautical to run before a gale

3. (tr) to hit; slap

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noun

1. the act of scudding

2. meteorol

   1. a formation of low fractostratus clouds driven by a strong wind beneath rain-bearing clouds

   2. a sudden shower or gust of wind

3. a slap

Scud ² British  

/ skʌd /

noun

1. informal a Soviet-made surface-to-surface missile, originally designed to carry nuclear warheads and with a range of 300 km; later modified to achieve greater range: used by Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War and in the Gulf Wars

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Etymology

Origin of scud¹

First recorded in 1525–35; of obscure origin; possibly from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schudden “to shake”

Origin of scud²

First recorded in 1780–90; of uncertain origin; perhaps from obsolete scud “dirt”

Origin of Scud³

The NATO name for a missile developed by the Soviets in the 1960s; probably from scud in the sense “to move quickly”

Explanation

To scud is to quickly dart or dash, the way clouds scud across the sky on a windy day or a sailboat scuds along the surface of a lake when it finally catches a breeze. When something scuds, it's often because the wind seems to be blowing it along — so you might watch kites scud over the beach or birds scud from tree to tree. Experts aren't positive about the origins of this word, but one guess connects it to scut, "rabbit" or "rabbit's tail." The speed of something scudding influenced NATO's code name for the Soviet Union's Cold War-era missiles, Scuds.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scud Scud scudded scudding

The team looked at three types of freshwater animals -- two species of gammarid, or "scud," which is a small freshwater crustacean; one freshwater snail; and three aquatic insect species.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2023

Fleecy white clouds scud across a bright blue sky, providing enough intermittent shade to keep temperatures tolerable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2020

Although the U.S. military had deployed a Patriot defense system, it failed to fire and let the scud through.

From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2019

The other problem maybe that the Iranian Houthi scud missiles may be of better quality...better material.

From New York Times ● Dec. 4, 2017

The moonlight shines and billows; the broken clouds scud above the trees.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

The U.S. also sent Patriot antimissile batteries that year to Israel to defend the country from the Scud missile attacks then Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had ordered.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

The Iskander-M, a mobile guided missile system code named "SS-26 Stone" by NATO, replaced the Soviet-era "Scud".

From Reuters ● Dec. 26, 2022

Patriots were used against Iraq's Russian-made Scud missiles during the first Gulf War and have been continuously developed since by Raytheon Technologies.

From BBC ● Dec. 21, 2022

During the gulf war, military officials said the system intercepted all but two Iraqi Scud missiles.

From New York Times ● Dec. 21, 2022

Wheatleigh gave "Lottery of Life," "Flying Scud," "After Dark" and "Arrah Na Pogue."

From The Mormons and the Theatre or The History of Theatricals in Utah by John S. Lindsay

What if Rabbi Matondo hadn't scudded an upright after an outrageous dart through the PSV defence?

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2023

He climbed aboard a tractor to start planting his winter wheat crop under a blue sky scudded with white clouds.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 9, 2019

As I walked down to La Perle du Lac, Geneva’s exceptional lakefront park, rain clouds scudded grimly across the sky and the city felt like it was still asleep.

From New York Times ● May 28, 2018

His 10th appearance at the World Cup yielded his 40th shot, none of which have provided reward, when his second-half free-kick scudded against the defensive wall.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 24, 2014

After a while, the squall began to subside and the thunderclouds scudded away from the center of town.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

It was quickly wiped out as Iran's push for a winner intensified, Mehdi Taremi scudding the bar, causing a visible gasp to emanate from the table below.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026

The sky was full of low scudding clouds when I landed in early December.

From New York Times ● Oct. 5, 2022

In a nation known for its scudding clouds, frequent showers and temperate weather, the blazing heat was enough to hobble much of the country.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2022

In the quiet of evening, after competition has ended, the venue echoes with a scudding sound of practice throws and the heavy thunk of takeouts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2022

The sky was broken now into scudding patches that dragged their swift shadows up out of the shabby garden, over the broken fence and across the yard.

From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner