The children were running helter-skelter.
Source: tatoeba (5725303)
Helter-skelter
//ˌhɛltɚˈskɛltɚ//
Synonyms for "helter-skelter" (130 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (26)
Strong matches (39)
Related words (65)
impetuouslyimpulsivelyin passinginstantlyirregularlyjumblejumbledlike madlittermadlymeleemessmessilymishmashmixed upmucked upmuddledoffhandon the runpell mell
Show 44 more words
potherpromiscuouspromptlyquicklyraceracketrampagerandomrecklesslyriotroughhouserowruckusrumpusrushscamperscatteredscramblescurryscuttleshindyslam bangslapdashsnafuspasmodicallyspeedilysporadicallystirsuperficiallyswiftlyto dotopsy turvytroubletumbletumultturmoilunevenlyunholy messuntidyuproarupside downwelterwildlywilly nilly
Adjective(1 words)
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
Related terms
2 entriessimilar
3 entriesTranslations
35 translations across 14 languages.
Bulgarian
4 entries- объркан adj (Carelessly hurried and confused)
- без ред adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
- объркано adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
- безпорядък noun (confusion or turmoil)
Czech
4 entries- chaotický adj (Carelessly hurried and confused)
- překotný adj (Carelessly hurried and confused)
- zmatený adj (Carelessly hurried and confused)
- chaoticky adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Dagbani
1 entries- balibali adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Danish
1 entries- hulter til bulter adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Dutch
1 entries- holderdebolder adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
German
3 entries- holterdiepolter adj (Carelessly hurried and confused)
- Hals über Kopf adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
- holterdiepolter adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Hungarian
3 entries- hanyatt-homlok adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
- hebehurgyán adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
- nyakra-főre adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Japanese
1 entries- めちゃめちゃ adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Plautdietsch
1 entries- droslich adj (Carelessly hurried and confused)
Polish
3 entries- bezładny adj (Carelessly hurried and confused)
- bezładnie adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
- na łeb, na szyję adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Portuguese
1 entries- a trouxe-mouxe adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Scottish Gaelic
4 entries- amasgaidh adj (Carelessly hurried and confused)
- amasgaidh adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
- uathrais air thairis adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
- giorna-giùirne noun (confusion or turmoil)
Tamil
1 entries- துண்டைக் காணோம் துணியைக் காணோம் என்று adv (in confused, disorderly haste)
Ukrainian
1 entries- спіра́льна гі́рка noun (amusement ride)
Sample sentences
11 total sentences available.
The cubs take little notice of you at first; but after a time they suddenly stop playing, stare hard at you for half a minute, then bolt off helter-skelter into the forest of waving green wheat.
Source: tatoeba (11668800)
The winds knocked huge trees helter-skelter all over my garden.
Source: wiktionary
But the butterflies were dead. A whiff of rotten eggs had vanquished the pale clouded yellows which came pelting across the orchard and up Dods Hill and away on to the moor, now lost behind a furze bush, then off again helter-skelter in a broiling sun.
Source: wiktionary
Showing 4 of 11 available sentences.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.