to run or move quickly or hurriedly.
Nautical. to run before a gale with little or no sail set.
Archery. (of an arrow) to fly too high and wide of the mark.
the act of scudding.
clouds, spray, or mist driven by the wind; a driving shower or gust of wind.
low-drifting clouds appearing beneath a cloud from which precipitation is falling.
(intr) (esp of clouds) to move along swiftly and smoothly
(intr) nautical to run before a gale
(tr) to hit; slap
the act of scudding
meteorol
a formation of low fractostratus clouds driven by a strong wind beneath rain-bearing clouds
a sudden shower or gust of wind
a slap
First recorded in 1525–35; of obscure origin; possibly from Middle Low German or Middle Dutch schudden “to shake”
First recorded in 1780–90; of uncertain origin; perhaps from obsolete scud “dirt”
The NATO name for a missile developed by the Soviets in the 1960s; probably from scud in the sense “to move quickly”
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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 fish grow so big because the limestone-rich waters support abundant plankton, which are consumed by billions of scud, a freshwater shrimp.
From New York Times ● Mar. 10, 2019
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
That engine is seen by some experts as derived from the Soviet RD-250 family of engines, while the earlier Unha space launcher used clusters of engines derived from Scud missiles.
From Reuters ● Jun. 1, 2023
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
Hope is easily dashed in the hearts of inert spectators, but Scud did not falter.
From A Republic Without a President and Other Stories by Ward, Herbert D. (Herbert Dickinson)
Hearts heads did not fall, though, and before Shankland's equaliser sparked bedlam, Yutaro Oda scudded the woodwork with a thunderous effort rather than squaring to the loitering Liam Boyce.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2023
Gusts of dry leaves scudded across the parking lot.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 15, 2020
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
The Shadow Dancer scudded out over the water, toward the Island of Living Gold.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Nearly a year ago to the day, Martinez Losa sat down after a 6-0 home scudding from England and said he was still the man to lead Scotland to the Euros.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024
But in summer the view from the opposite side is equally spectacular: the approach of moisture-laden monsoon clouds, scudding across the sky.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 9, 2022
For Britain, a nation known for its scudding clouds, frequent showers and temperate weather, the blast-furnace of Arizona-style heat was enough to disrupt much of the country.
From New York 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 bells were ringing again, high in the scudding sunlight in bright disorderly tatters of sound.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
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.
