Skedaddle / verb / ske·dad·dle
Skedaddle is an intransitive verb we use in English to describe hurried movements or “getting out of the way.” A person who is “skedaddling” is leaving, moving, running away, or dodging a potentially dangerous situation. The most important component of the word “skedaddle” shows someone or something moving at a rapid or hurried pace. The opposite of standing still — to “skedaddle” means to move away quickly and with swift intent.
In a Sentence
You better “skedaddle” if you don’t want to get caught in that thunderstorm!
The girl had to “skedaddle” to avoid being late for class.
The basketball team “skedaddled” to recover the ball before the final buzzer sounded.
Etymology
Etymologists say there are a wide variety of influences that contributed to the makeup of the word “skedaddle.” They believe this intransitive verb that means to “move quickly” in English to be of British dialect and related to Old Norse as early as the late 1800s. They also used the word “skedaddle” in Middle English as a representation of harmful, fierce, or wild behavior. The word skedaddle has taken on a multitude of different meanings ranging from Scandinavian to North American English since its first appearance in language around the late 1800s.
Synonyms
Bolt, Bug Out
Antonyms
Standstill, Ebb
Really like the format especially explaining the word of the day more directly!