skitter
Move quick, light
Skitter describes quick, light, irregular movement across a surface, like a stone skipping on water or an insect darting across a floor.
The word captures both the speed and the erratic, almost nervous quality of the motion: Leaves skittered across the empty parking lot.
Small creatures skitter—mice, crabs, spiders—as do lightweight objects caught by wind or current.
The word can also describe fishing lures drawn rapidly across the water's surface to attract strikes.
Quick, light-footed dash
- scuttleSink intentionally; hurried shuffle
- dartHandheld pointed projectile
- dashQuick burst or pinch
- flitMove lightly, rapidly
skate · skim · scramble · sprint · bolt · zip · whisk · patter
Hard-winged insect
- spiderWeb-spinning arachnid
- cockroachFlattened scavenging household insect
- antSmall colonial insect
- crabPincer-bearing shellfish
centipede · cricket · waterbug · scorpion · crawl · creep · critter · legs
Anxiously restless
- jumpyNervously reactive to stimuli
- startledAbruptly surprised or alarmed
- spookedFrightened into alertness
- anxiousTroubled by uncertainty
flighty · twitchy · edgy · wary · nervy · restless · uneasy · apprehensive
scamper
Quick, light-footed dash
flit · skate · skim · scramble · sprint · bolt · zip · whisk · patter · scoot
beetle
Hard-winged insect
crab · centipede · cricket · waterbug · scorpion · crawl · creep · critter · legs · antennae
jittery
Anxiously restless
- jumpyNervously reactive to stimuli
- startledAbruptly surprised or alarmed
- spookedFrightened into alertness
anxious · flighty · twitchy · edgy · wary · nervy · restless · uneasy · apprehensive · fidgety
bounce
Spring back after impact
graze · skate · slide · hop · patter · tap · clatter · rattle · scratch · scrape
nimble
Quick and light-moving
fleet · lithe · swift · graceful · sprightly · spry · lightfooted · dainty · delicate · feathery