To scamper means to run with quick, light, playful steps, usually over a short distance. Picture a squirrel darting across your yard to reach an acorn, or your dog racing excitedly around the house when you arrive home. That hurried, bouncy, almost joyful way of running is scampering.

The word captures a particular quality of movement: it's fast but not frantic, energetic but not exhausting. Young children often scamper around a playground, and mice scamper across floors with tiny, rapid steps. You might scamper up the stairs when you hear the ice cream truck's music, or scamper back inside when it starts raining.

Scamper suggests lightness and quickness together. A bear doesn't scamper (too heavy), and a turtle doesn't scamper (too slow). The word works best for small creatures or people moving with happy urgency, like when you scamper to your seat just as the movie starts.