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Glite Dictionary
scudding

scudding

1 8.3
Moving quickly and smoothly, blown by the wind, like clouds or ships
  • noun
  • /ˈskədɪŋ/
translation icon : deslizamiento
  • The ship was propelled forward by the strong winds, its sails catching the air as it glided over the scudding waves.
  • scudding clouds

Examples

  • A half moon rode among the scudding clouds, the unwinking brilliant beacon light of Selene visible along its terminator between night and day.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Scudding gray clouds still hid the sun, draping the country in gloom.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • the rare days with only a few scudding altocumulus and no stratus banked

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The night was crystal clear with a bright, gibbous moon poking in and out amid scudding clouds.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • It was a bright, blustery October day, a sky of high scudding clouds against a glassy blue.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • High-scudding broken clouds.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • The moon, like a sliver of errant quicksilver, disappeared behind scudding, high-flying clouds.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Looking back toward the city, he saw the Hancock and Prudential towers to the right, the lower MIT towers to the left, poking up at low scudding clouds.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • The rain became just a pattering, like light hail tapping on a sod roof, as scudding gray clouds thinned and blew eastward toward the Missouri at a fair clip.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • As I watched the storm approach, I could see the scudding dark clouds racing across the sky, foretelling rain.

Synonyms

scud
vsscudding
396 8.3

A quick, smooth movement pushed along by the wind

moves swiftly and smoothly when driven by wind and avoiding obstacles

Antonyms

halt
109 2.3

A stop in movement or activity

stagnation
1 6.5

Still water that does not move in pipes or lakes, causing poor quality

How Fast

racing
231 1.0
rushing
1.0
scudding
1 8.3
drifting
6 5.0

Surface Forms

scudding singular
scuddings plural

Morphology

scudding = scud (transparent) = scud + ing

A straightforward gerund/participle formation from the verb 'scud'; the noun sense denotes the action/state of moving swiftly.

Etymology

Scudding comes from the short verb scud, from an old word meaning 'to drive' or 'push quickly'. So when clouds or ships are scudding, imagine them being 'pushed' fast by the wind, which is why the word means swift, smooth movement.