scooted

Meanings

1. 1verbintransitiveinformal

   Moved quickly and lightly from one place to another, often because of hurry.

   Grammar: No object, with a direction word: she scooted off.

   Patterns

   • scoot off
   • scoot out of somewhere
   • scoot over to somewhere

   The cat scooted under the sofa when the doorbell rang.

   She scooted out of the office just before the meeting began.

   The children scooted across the yard to the swings.

2. 2verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal

   Moved yourself or something a short distance along a surface by sliding, often while sitting.

   Grammar: Both with and without an object: he scooted over; he scooted his chair closer.

   Patterns

   • scoot over
   • scoot something closer

   He scooted over to make room for me on the bench.

   The toddler scooted across the floor on her bottom.

   She scooted her chair closer to the table.

Word forms

Common combinations

scooted over

He scooted over to give me the window seat.

scooted off

The boys scooted off before the teacher noticed.

scooted along

The little car scooted along the lane.

scooted away

The squirrel scooted away at the sound.

scooted her chair

She scooted her chair back from the desk.

Synonyms and how they differ

dashed

Dashed suggests a faster, more urgent run than scooted.

scurried

Scurried means moving quickly with short steps, often from fear or hurry.

slid

Slid stresses moving smoothly over a surface, with no sense of hurry.

darted

Darted suggests a sudden, sharp movement, like a bird or a fish.

Opposites

Word family

scoot verb

to move quickly or slide

scooter noun

a small vehicle you stand on or ride

scooting noun

the act of sliding along

Commonly confused: scooted or scouted?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “scooted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words