Meaning & use
scurry
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“scurry” is a form of “scurry”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbintransitive
Running with quick, short steps, often because of fear, urgency, excitement, or haste.
Grammar: No object; commonly followed by away, off, across, or into.
Patterns
- scurry away
- scurry across something
- scurry into somewhere
Mice were scurrying across the kitchen floor.
Commuters scurried into the station as rain began.
Word forms
| third person singular | scurries |
|---|---|
| past tense | scurried |
| past participle | scurried |
| -ing form | scurrying |
Common combinations
- scurry away
- The rabbit scurried away when it heard footsteps.
- scurry across the road
- Children scurried across the road when the light changed.
- scurry for cover
- We scurried for cover as the storm arrived.
- scurrying footsteps
- I heard scurrying footsteps behind the door.
Synonyms and how they differ
- scamper
- Scamper suggests light, playful running, often by children or small animals; scurrying is more urgent.
- dash
- Dash means move suddenly and fast; scurry suggests many quick small steps.
- hurry
- Hurry is general quick movement; scurry adds a nervous, hurried pattern of steps.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: scurry or hurrying?
scurry vs hurrying
Hurrying means moving fast to avoid lateness; scurrying suggests quick little steps, often nervous or animal-like.
Practice
Which sentence uses scurrying naturally?
Choose one answer.
Scurrying can describe light things moved by wind or small quick movements. It does not take homework, a ball, or an idea as an object here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scurry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.