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skitter

[ skit-er ]
/ ˈskɪt ər /
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See synonyms for: skitter / skittered / skittering on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object)
to go, run, or glide lightly or rapidly.
to skim along a surface.
Angling. to draw a lure or a baited hook over the water with a skipping motion.
verb (used with object)
to cause to skitter.
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Origin of skitter

1835–45; skit, variant of skite1 + -er6
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to skitter

bound, carom, flit, gambol, graze, lope, prance, ricochet, scamper, scoot, skim, tiptoe, bob, bolt, buck, canter, caper, cavort, dance, flee

How to use skitter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for skitter

skitter
/ (ˈskɪtə) /
verb
(intr often foll by off) to move or run rapidly or lightly; scamper
to skim or cause to skim lightly and rapidly, as across the surface of water
(intr) angling to draw a bait lightly over the surface of water

Word Origin for skitter

C19: probably from dialect skite to dash about; related to Old Norse skjōta to shoot
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
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