verb
skedaddle
skih-DA-duhl
verb
1
To leave somewhere quickly, especially to avoid trouble.
"When the teacher walked in, the kids skedaddled out the back door."
"We skedaddled before the storm hit."
noun
1
A hasty retreat or dash away from something.
"The whole gang made a skedaddle when the sirens started."
How to Use Skedaddle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA playful, informal word for running off or clearing out fast.
When to use it
Very informal and a bit old-fashioned or humorous — not used in formal writing.
Common pairings
skedaddle out of here
made a skedaddle
Word Forms
skedaddled past tense, skedaddles plural, skedaddles singular
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When the teacher walked in, the kids _____ out the back door.
Etymology
First recorded around 1861 in American Civil War slang, of uncertain origin — possibly linked to a British dialect word "scaddle" meaning "to run off in fright."