scuttled; scuttling
ˈskə-tᵊl-iŋ 
ˈskət-liŋ
1
: a quick shuffling pace
2
: a short swift run
scuttled; scuttling
1
: destroy, wreck
also
: scrap sense 2
2
: to cut a hole through the bottom, deck, or side of (a ship)
specifically
: to sink or attempt to sink by making holes through the bottom
1
: a small opening in a wall or roof furnished with a lid: such as
a
: a small opening or hatchway in the deck of a ship large enough to admit a person and with a lid for covering it
b
: a small hole in the side or bottom of a ship fitted with a covering or glazed
2
: a covering that closes a scuttle
1
: a shallow open basket for carrying something (such as grain or garden produce)
2
: a metal pail that usually has a bail and a sloped lip and is used especially for carrying coal
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- barrel
- belt
- blast
- blaze
- blow
- bolt
- bomb [slang]
- bowl
- breeze
- bundle
- bustle
- buzz
- cannonball
- careen
- career
- chase
- course
- crack (on)
- dash
- drive
- fly
- hare
- hasten
- hie
- highball
- hotfoot (it)
- hump
- hurl
- hurry
- hurtle
- hustle
- jet
- jump
- motor
- nip
- pelt
- race
- ram
- rip
- rocket
- run
- rush
- rustle
- scoot
- scurry
- shoot
- speed
- step
- tear
- travel
- trot
- whirl
- whisk
- zip
- zoom
Examples of scuttle in a Sentence
Verb (1)
mice scuttling across the barn floor to escape the cats
Recent Examples on the Web
PCMAG, 16 May 2024
In December, nearly 30% of private and public construction projects had been significantly delayed, indefinitely stalled or scuttled over the previous six months, according to an American Institute of Architects’ member survey.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024
At the same time, Israel has begun strikes in Rafah that could either pressure Hamas leaders into signing a cease-fire deal or scuttle the negotiations entirely.
—TIME, 9 May 2024
For example, the NHL, NBA and MLB all have to sign off on the plan, so any major hiccup in a complicated agreement could scuttle the deal and the teams would have to go in a different direction, either collectively or separately.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2024
In the past, states like Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin have even outright rejected billions in federal rail funding, scuttling many of the plans Amtrak had for repairs.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 6 May 2024
Past pipelines transporting oil and gas have been scuttled, despite natural gas providing residents with lower utility rates and emissions reductions aligned with the state’s climate goals.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 6 May 2024
President Lyndon Johnson, who had scored major policy wins in expanding health care and anti-poverty programs, decided not to run for reelection in 1968 because the protest movement against his escalation in Vietnam had scuttled his support within the Democratic Party.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 4 May 2024
The intensifying scrutiny of the acquisition has raised expectations that the $15 billion buyout could ultimately be scuttled by the Biden administration.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 3 May 2024
Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Nov. 2023
On today's The Excerpt podcast, the Israeli Supreme Court scuttles a key part of Netanyahu's judicial reform amid troop pullout.
—USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
This Apple-Beeper scuttle has continued for a month, reports TechCrunch.
—Byalexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2023
This little creature scuttles along the seafloor around Antarctica, and in new research, scientists use its genetics to argue that a major Antarctic ice sheet completely collapsed at a time in the past when temperatures were just one degree Celsius warmer than the preindustrial period.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Dec. 2023
The ruling scuttles Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s marquee policy to curb migration and offers a warning shot to other European nations considering similar plans.
—Max Colchester, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023
Classical simulations can also control the noise that plagues real quantum processors and often scuttles quantum runs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Oct. 2023
This snapping shrimp scuttles through the reefs around Ambon Island in Indonesia, creating a cacophony with its closing claw.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2023
The deal scuttles city or county efforts to pursue higher wage boosts until the agreement expires in 2029.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Verb
Additionally, the occasional rumble from a large truck can cause enough vibration to scuttle a frame, while the passage of a jetliner on landing approach can streak across the Seestar’s field of view.
—PCMAG, 16 May 2024
In December, nearly 30% of private and public construction projects had been significantly delayed, indefinitely stalled or scuttled over the previous six months, according to an American Institute of Architects’ member survey.
—Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 15 May 2024
At the same time, Israel has begun strikes in Rafah that could either pressure Hamas leaders into signing a cease-fire deal or scuttle the negotiations entirely.
—TIME, 9 May 2024
For example, the NHL, NBA and MLB all have to sign off on the plan, so any major hiccup in a complicated agreement could scuttle the deal and the teams would have to go in a different direction, either collectively or separately.
—Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2024
In the past, states like Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin have even outright rejected billions in federal rail funding, scuttling many of the plans Amtrak had for repairs.
—Paolo Confino, Fortune, 6 May 2024
Past pipelines transporting oil and gas have been scuttled, despite natural gas providing residents with lower utility rates and emissions reductions aligned with the state’s climate goals.
—Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 6 May 2024
President Lyndon Johnson, who had scored major policy wins in expanding health care and anti-poverty programs, decided not to run for reelection in 1968 because the protest movement against his escalation in Vietnam had scuttled his support within the Democratic Party.
—Brian Bennett, TIME, 4 May 2024
The intensifying scrutiny of the acquisition has raised expectations that the $15 billion buyout could ultimately be scuttled by the Biden administration.
—Alan Rappeport, New York Times, 3 May 2024
Noun
What crawls and scuttles around those lava rocks are crabs.
—Clark Collis, EW.com, 3 Nov. 2023
On today's The Excerpt podcast, the Israeli Supreme Court scuttles a key part of Netanyahu's judicial reform amid troop pullout.
—USA TODAY, 2 Jan. 2024
This Apple-Beeper scuttle has continued for a month, reports TechCrunch.
—Byalexandra Sternlicht, Fortune, 22 Dec. 2023
This little creature scuttles along the seafloor around Antarctica, and in new research, scientists use its genetics to argue that a major Antarctic ice sheet completely collapsed at a time in the past when temperatures were just one degree Celsius warmer than the preindustrial period.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 21 Dec. 2023
The ruling scuttles Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s marquee policy to curb migration and offers a warning shot to other European nations considering similar plans.
—Max Colchester, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023
Classical simulations can also control the noise that plagues real quantum processors and often scuttles quantum runs.
—IEEE Spectrum, 3 Oct. 2023
This snapping shrimp scuttles through the reefs around Ambon Island in Indonesia, creating a cacophony with its closing claw.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 17 Oct. 2023
The deal scuttles city or county efforts to pursue higher wage boosts until the agreement expires in 2029.
—Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 13 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scuttle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Scuttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scuttle. Accessed 20 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scuttle
1 of 5 noun
scut·tle
ˈskət-ᵊl
: a metal pail for carrying coal
scuttle
2 of 5 noun
: a small opening (as in the deck of a ship or the roof of a house) with a lid or cover
also
: its lid
scuttle
5 of 5 noun1
: a quick scuffing pace
2
: a short swift run
Etymology
Noun
Middle English scutel "a shallow basket for carrying things," from Latin scutella "drinking bowl"
Noun
Middle English skottell "lid of a scuttle"
Verb
probably a combination of 1scud and 2shuttle
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