scud (sk?d)intr.v. scud·ded, scud·ding, scuds 1. To run or skim along swiftly and easily: dark clouds scudding by.2. Nautical To run before a gale with little or no sail set.n.1. The act of scudding.2. a. Wind-driven clouds, mist, or rain.b. A gust of wind.c. Ragged low clouds, moving rapidly beneath another cloud layer.[Possibly from Middle English scut, rabbit, rabbit’s tail; see scut1.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.scud (sk?d) vb, scuds, scudding or scudded1. (intr) (esp of clouds) to move along swiftly and smoothly2. (Nautical Terms) (intr) nautical to run before a gale3. (tr) Scot to hit; slapn4. the act of scudding5. (Physical Geography) meteorol a. a formation of low fractostratus clouds driven by a strong wind beneath rain-bearing cloudsb. a sudden shower or gust of wind6. Scot a slap[C16: probably of Scandinavian origin; related to Norwegian skudda to thrust, Swedish skudda to shake]Scud (sk?d) n (Arms & Armour (excluding Firearms)) informal a Soviet-made surface-to-surface missile, originally designed to carry nuclear warheads and with a range of 300 km; later modified to achieve greater range: used by Iraq in the Iran-Iraq War and in the Gulf WarsCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014scud (sk?d) v. scud?ded, scud?ding, n. v.i. 1. to run or move quickly or hurriedly. 2. Naut. to run before a gale with little or no sail set. n. 3. the act of scudding. 4. a. clouds, spray, or mist driven by the wind. b. a driving shower. c. a gust of wind. 5. low-drifting clouds appearing beneath a cloud from which precipitation is falling. [1525?35;