Dry leaves skittered over the sidewalk. Mice skittered across the floor.
Recent Examples on the WebEventually, shaving weight comes at the expense of stability and dampness, and many skiers know that feathery backcountry skis tend to skitter on resort hardpack. Heather Schultz, Outside Online, 4 Mar. 2021 Smaller drops will skitter off the surface and evaporate, while larger drops explode with that telltale crack. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 21 Jan. 2022 The blob, captured on distant, fuzzy video by Navy pilots, seems to skitter just above the ocean waves at improbable speed, with no discernible means of propulsion or lift.BostonGlobe.com, 5 June 2021 Hollywood dabbles in that darkness, too — Camille and her boyfriend Ray become the targets of racist harassment, bigots protest the studio, and so on — and then skitters back into the sunshine before things get too bleak. Darren Franich, EW.com, 29 Apr. 2020 When 49ers defensive back Tarvarius Moore snatched another interception after the ball skittered through the arms of a Chiefs receiver, San Francisco appeared to be suffocating the league’s most explosive offense. Rachel Bachman, WSJ, 3 Feb. 2020 The Habs nearly went up two goals on that power play, when net-front man Gallagher tipped a point shot, but the puck skittered wide of the post.BostonGlobe.com, 2 Dec. 2019 The film skitters around from talking about careers to what those careers cost personally. Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Mar. 2020 But if skittered out of bounds, allowing the Chiefs to keep the ball. Sean Gregory, Time, 3 Feb. 2020 See More
Word History
Etymology
probably frequentative of English dialect (Scots and northern) skite to move quickly, probably from Old Norse skyt-, stem of skjōta to shoot