scurry

[ skur-ee, skuhr-ee ]

/ ˈskɜr i, ˈskʌr i /

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See synonyms for: scurry / scurried / scurries / scurrying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), scur·ried, scur·ry·ing.

to go or move quickly or in haste.

verb (used with object), scur·ried, scur·ry·ing.

to send hurrying along.

noun, plural scur·ries.

a scurrying rush: the scurry of little feet on the stairs.

a short run or race.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of scurry

First recorded in 1800–10; extracted from hurry-scurry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scurry in a sentence

Now, it seems, a fear of the sun is starting to send them scurrying back to the Victorian styles of centuries past.
Is the Facekini the Future of Beachwear?|Justin Jones|August 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rather than scurrying for cover like so many, she rushed to Malcolm, hoping to comfort him, hoping she could help him survive.
Remembering Yuri Kochiyama, Civil Rights Activist and Malcolm X Ally|Herb Boyd|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Welcome to Groundhog Day, with the hefty rodents on Capitol Hill scurrying toward another fiscal cliff.
Debt Ceiling Crisis Is Like a Toxic Groundhog Day on Capitol Hill|John Avlon|October 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Every once in awhile somebody spotted a coyote scurrying past along the side of the road, and the whole bus leaped in its seat.
At the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, a Steady Drip of Toxic Trouble|Eric Nusbaum|February 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST

One floor down, the focus of all this scurrying around was bursting into view.
Obama’s Unsung Army of Backstage Volunteers at the Inaugural Balls|Lauren Ashburn|January 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They looked down at Grandfather Mole, who was still scurrying frantically about the garden.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
But agitation unlocks wayward fancies and sends them scurrying inopportunely across the very foreground of the mind.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
As Matt crawled over, he saw a roughly dressed man scurrying to get up the wall at the back of the shelf.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
There followed a yelp, and the animal—coyote or wolf—could be heard scurrying away.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
From a safe distance Beardsley adjusted his glasses and observed the frantic, scurrying techs, many of them nursing burned hands.
We're Friends, Now|Henry Hasse

British Dictionary definitions for scurry

scurry

/ (ˈskʌrɪ) /

verb -ries, -rying or -ried

to move about or proceed hurriedly

(intr) to whirl about

noun plural -ries

the act or sound of scurrying

a brisk light whirling movement, as of snow

horse racing a short race or sprint

Word Origin for scurry

C19: probably shortened from hurry-scurry

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

scurry

Origin of scurry

Words related to scurry

How to use scurry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scurry

Word Origin for scurry