What does scudding mean?
Scudding means moving or running quickly, usually with a broad, sweeping motion. Its most familiar application is to clouds racing across the sky, as in “scudding clouds,” and it can also describe rain blowing or falling in quick, shifting showers. The word often suggests speed and a slightly dramatic or unsettled atmosphere, making it especially effective in descriptions of changing weather. It can describe any rapid movement, including a boat or other object moving briskly across water. Although “scud” is a relatively uncommon verb, “scudding” is familiar in literary, meteorological, and descriptive contexts. The word is used in both British and American English, but its figurative associations are strongest with fast-moving clouds and storm-laden skies. Overall, it conveys a sense of hurried, sweeping motion that is more forceful and atmospheric than the neutral word “moving.”
To move or run quickly, especially with a sweeping motion; of clouds, to move rapidly across the sky.
"Rain was scudding across the hills as the light faded."
Often used in descriptions of clouds, rain, or other forms of rapid movement.
Describing something that is moving rapidly, especially clouds or rain.
"Scudding clouds darkened the horizon."
This use is a participial adjective and is particularly associated with rapidly moving clouds and rain.
Scudding is the weather’s shorthand for clouds racing overhead—quick, dramatic, and often impossible to ignore.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does scudding come from?
The word is the present participle of the Middle English verb “scud,” meaning to move or run quickly. Its origin is generally linked to Old Norse “skúða,” associated with pushing, shoving, or darting, although the precise development is not entirely straightforward. The form “scud” later became especially established in the expression “scudding clouds” and in related descriptions of weather.
Related word forms
How scudding is actually used
The form is most often heard as the present participle of scud. As a modifier, it is particularly common with clouds and rain, giving these descriptions a visual or literary quality.
Easily confused with scudding
Scurrying usually describes quick, light movement by a person or small animal, whereas scudding often describes a broader, sweeping movement, especially of clouds.