scamper
/ˈskampə
/verb [no object, with adverbial of direction]
(Especially of a small animal or child) run with quick light steps, especially through fear or excitement: he scampered in like an overgrown puppy...
- Sure, there were film songs sung with verve, dances and a skit, and games for children scampering around.
- A kestrel commanded the long valley views, rabbits scampered unconcerned.
- Children scampered off the yellow school bus and into the playground.
Synonyms
scurry, scuttle, dart, run, rush, dash, race, sprint, hurry, hasten, make haste;
romp, frolic, gambol;
British scutter
informal scoot, beetle
noun [in singular]
An act of scampering: he heard the squeak and scamper of rats...
- The dim, yellow light each one was shedding cast shadows off the crates and barrels carelessly piled along the length of the alley, and occasionally a squeak and a scamper echoed throughout the area.
- I set out at a full-tilt scamper, leaping over the tops of pedestrians and passing cars in search of a victim for my rustling.
- Then, with a raspy scamper, a team of grey squirrels descended on our picnic table to clear crumbs faster than any vacuum cleaner.
Origin
Late 17th century (in the sense 'run away'): probably from scamp2.
Rhymes
- pot garden
- pot-girl
- pot green
- pot-gut
- subs bench
- subs' bench
- subscapular
- subscapular artery
- subscapular fossa
- subscapularis
- subscapulary
- subscribable
- subscribe
- subscribeable
- subscriber
- subscribership
- subscriber trunk dialling
- subscript
- subscripted
- subscripting
- subscription
- subscription book
- subscription club
- subscription concert
- subscriptionist