skittering
present participle ofskitter
skitter
verb[Iusually+ adv/prep]
uk/ˈskɪt.ər/us/ˈskɪt̬.ɚ/(especiallyof asmallanimal,bird, orinsect) tomoveveryquicklyandlightly:
When Iliftedthelog, there werelotsofbeetlesskitteringabout/aroundunder it.
Synonyms
scamper
scurry
Animal (non-human) behaviour
- accidental
- beg
- behave
- behaviour
- behavioural science
- behaviourist
- groom
- hatch
- hover
- monogamy
- murmuration
- nocturnal
- non-migrant
- non-migratory
- nuzzle
- ruminate
- scent
- skitter
- slaver
- torpor
You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Moving quickly
Examplesofskittering
skittering
In English, many past and present participles of verbs can be used as adjectives. Some of these examples may show the adjective use.
The work could best be described as a bravura chamber concerto for 24 soloists; or as a vastskitteringfree-form gloss on the idea of the 'hunting' scherzo.
From theCambridge English Corpus
I feel more like a cootskitteringover the surface of a lake, below which lie deep and unplumbable depths of wisdom.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under theOpen Parliament Licence v3.0
A dark room is spooky, but add a creaking floorboard and ratsskitteringin the walls and it becomes "really" creepy.
From
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.Humcrush present futuristic electro-jazz, mixing hyper electronics, bleats of analogue keyboards andskitteringlive drums to great effect.
FromThis example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.Short dark pants held up with straps is all he wears as he bounds along in his odd,skitteringgait.
FromThis example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
- brink of bankruptcy
- brink of collapse
- brink of death
- brink of destruction
- brink of disaster
- brink of extinction
- brink of ruin
- brink of war
- brinksmanship
- briny
- brio
- brioche
- briquette
- bris
- Brisbane
- brise soleil
- brise-soleil
- brisk
- brisket
- briskly
- briskness
- brisk pace
- bristle
- bristle brush
- bristlecone pine