MEANING
To move quickly with short, hurried steps, often in a furtive or nervous way.
Use it for
Show quick, short, hurried movement.Compresses speed, small steps, and a furtive quality into one movement verb.
Words that belong together
- scurry across the floor
- scurry away
- scurry for cover
On the page
Mice scurried beneath the pantry shelves when the door opened.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- scurry
- Past tense
- scurried
- Past participle
- scurried
- Present participle
- scurrying
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- scurry
- Present continuous
- am/is/are scurrying
- Present perfect
- have/has scurried
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been scurrying
- Past
- scurried
- Past continuous
- was/were scurrying
- Past perfect
- had scurried
- Past perfect continuous
- had been scurrying
- Future
- will scurry
- Future continuous
- will be scurrying
- Future perfect
- will have scurried
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been scurrying
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Suggests hurried, small-footed movement and often fits small animals or a person trying to move unobtrusively.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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