skedaddle

[ ski-dad-l ]

/ skɪˈdæd l /

Informal.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR skedaddle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), ske·dad·dled, ske·dad·dling.

to run away hurriedly; flee.

noun

a hasty flight.

Nearby words

skean, skean dhu, skean-dhu, skeat, sked, skedaddle, skedaddler, skee, skee-ball, skeech, skeef

Origin of skedaddle

1860–65, Americanism; compare dial. (Scots, N England) skedaddle to spill, scatter, skiddle to move away quickly

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for skedaddle

Skedaddle onto the equally heart-stopping Million Dollar Highway to Ouray and Telluride.
The U.S. Road Trips You Should Really Take|Lonely Planet|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the night the enemy made their appearance, the bell was rung and the skedaddle enacted!
Our campaign around Gettysburg|John Lockwood
The defence was too strong, and our force too small; we had to skedaddle, or we'd have seen Libby in a way we didn't like.
The Militants|Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews
But Lieutenant Bennett got his guns in position, and sent over several shells, which caused them to “skedaddle” in all directions.
Our Battery|Orlando P. Cutter

If we got interfered with by anybody official, we meant to talk some rot about the Borough Surveyor, and skedaddle if necessary.
The Right Stuff|Ian Hay
For the formation we may compare American vamose, to skedaddle, from Span.
The Romance of Words (4th ed.)|Ernest Weekley

British Dictionary definitions for skedaddle

skedaddle

/ (skɪˈdædəl) informal /

verb

(intr) to run off hastily

noun

a hasty retreat

Word Origin for skedaddle

C19: of unknown origin

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