scurry
5
4.2
- noun
- /ˈskɜːri/
:
ajetreo
- All that could be heard was the soft scurry of mice in the pantry, taking their part in Thanksgiving.
Examples
-
There was a scurry of activity and growling as they grabbed a piece of fish and headed into the bush to eat.
Academic text (1999) -
Realizing this is futile, Dmitri slips through the floor girders and scurries towards the edge.
Fiction book (1997) -
The kids ran in front of me in an obvious scurry and closed the vehicle door.
Blog text (13) -
And sure enough, he was scarcely inside with the door shut when he heard a faint scurry in the hall.
Fiction book (1994) -
A thin old man carrying a brown leather satchel scurries out of the bank.
Fiction book (1991) -
As quail scurry for cover in the blackberry hedges, she can see them coming in broad daylight, the seven houses below hers.
Fiction book (1999) -
There was a scurry of feet and some breathless laughter, and suddenly two ghostly insectlike figures came clanging onto the landing.
Fiction book (1991) -
The scurry of mice filled the attic as they searched for food.
-
During the fire drill, there was a frantic scurry of students trying to exit the building.
-
As the rain began to fall, there was a scurry of shoppers rushing to find shelter.
Synonyms
35
4.2
A sudden hurried rush to get something before others
7
9.3
A quick leaving to avoid danger or trouble
3
4.3
A quick, playful run using small, hurried steps
How Hurried
Surface Forms
Etymology
Scurry as a noun keeps the same idea: it names a sudden rush or quick, confused movement and comes from old local words meaning 'to move quickly'. So a scurry is like a small hurry of people or animals — a brief rush of short, fast steps.