To scurry means to move quickly with short, hurried steps, usually because you're in a rush or trying to avoid being seen. Picture a mouse darting across the kitchen floor when the lights flip on, or a squirrel racing up a tree with an acorn in its mouth. That quick, busy, slightly frantic movement is scurrying.

People scurry too. Students might scurry down the hallway when the late bell rings, taking fast little steps to reach class before the door closes. During a surprise rainstorm, you might see people scurrying for cover, heads down and feet moving rapidly.

The word suggests urgency or nervousness behind your speed. When you scurry, you're hustling with quick, almost anxious energy, moving with rapid steps driven by time pressure or the desire to escape notice. If your teacher sees you scurrying to finish an assignment at the last second, she knows you're rushing because time ran out.

Notice how scurry sounds a bit like what it describes, those quick scurr-y syllables mimicking rapid little footsteps. Animals like mice, crabs, and beetles are natural scurriers, but any creature (including humans) can scurry when the situation calls for hurried movement.