scuttle

¹ American  

[skuht-l] / ˈskʌt l /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. a small hatch or port in the deck, side, or bottom of a vessel.

   2. a cover for this.

2. a small hatchlike opening in a roof or ceiling.

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verb (used with object)

scuttled, scuttling

1. to sink (a vessel) deliberately, especially by opening seacocks or making openings in the hull.

2. to abandon, withdraw from, or cause to be abandoned or destroyed (as plans, hopes, rumors, etc.).

scuttle ² American  

[skuht-l] / ˈskʌt l /

verb (used without object)

scuttled, scuttling

1. to run with quick, hasty steps; scurry.

   Synonyms:

   scramble, scamper, hurry, hasten

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noun

1. a quick pace.

2. a short, hurried run.

scuttle ³ American  

[skuht-l] / ˈskʌt l /

noun

1. a deep bucket for carrying coal.

2. British Dialect. a broad, shallow basket.

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scuttle ¹ British  

/ ˈskʌtəl /

noun

1. See coal scuttle

2. dialect a shallow basket, esp for carrying vegetables

3. the part of a motor-car body lying immediately behind the bonnet

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scuttle ² British  

/ ˈskʌtəl /

verb

1. (tr) nautical to cause (a vessel) to sink by opening the seacocks or making holes in the bottom

2. (tr) to give up (hopes, plans, etc)

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noun

1. nautical a small hatch or its cover

scuttle ³ British  

/ ˈskʌtəl /

verb

1. (intr) to run or move about with short hasty steps

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noun

1. a hurried pace or run

Etymology

Origin of scuttle¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; of obscure origin; perhaps from Middle French escoutille or Spanish escotilla “hatchway,” equivalent to Spanish escot(e) “a cutting of cloth” + -illa, diminutive suffix; of Germanic origin; compare Gothic skaut “hem, seam”; see also sheet ¹ ( def. ))

Origin of scuttle²

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English scottlynge “scampering” (gerund), variant of scuddle, frequentative of scud ¹

Origin of scuttle³

First recorded in before 1050; Middle English scutel(le), scuttel “dish, basket, winnowing fan,” Old English scutel “dish, trencher, platter,” from Latin scutella, diminutive of scutra “shallow dish, pan”

Explanation

When you scuttle, you move with quick anxious steps, like a bug running for cover when a light is turned on. Use the word scuttle when you want to describe running or fast walking that’s characterized by short, hasty steps, like someone or something that tries to hurry — a person who is late for work scuttling through a crowd of slow-moving pedestrians — but can't. Scuttle has a number of other meanings. As a noun, it can refer to a container for coal or a hatch on a ship. If you scuttle a plan, you cancel or undermine it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scuttle scuttled scuttling

But at the same time, a prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz may scuttle an optimistic outlook, which central banks may be powerless to offset.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

And what does success in these negotiations look like - a fully-formed peace deal, or just productive initial talks that don't scuttle the temporary ceasefire?

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

Mr. Trump can still scuttle the Mauritius deal under a 1966 treaty between the U.K. and U.S. that established defensive uses for the British Indian Ocean Territory.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 26, 2026

Netflix won the bidding for the storied studio and HBO in December, prompting the spurned Paramount executives to launch a multipronged strategy to scuttle the Netflix deal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026

Among us scratches and lumbers Vishnoo, the shipboard tortoise kept so that he might dispose of the roaches that hang on the beams and scuttle into the straw of our mattresses.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

The agreement is probably too advantageous to be completely scuttled, but its limits can be stretched.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

The CEO’s dismissal scuttled any hopes of a quick reset.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

But a merger with Ares Acquisition, a blank check company backed by the Los Angeles firm, was scuttled in October 2023 as investors cooled on special-purpose acquisition companies and became cautious on new issues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026

U.S. skier Jackie Miles was preparing for the 2018 Olympics in South Korea when she crashed in Garmisch, Germany, and suffered a devastating knee injury that scuttled her trip to the Games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

He scuttled to the edge of the ledges, felt his hand miss, pulled himself back, and tried to get his legs under him.

From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt

And so, some still mull just scuttling the agency.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

Saudi Arabia abruptly canceled two large construction contracts at one of the most ambitious projects in the world, scuttling plans to bring skiing to the desert kingdom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

The EU ended up accepting it instead of scuttling a deal altogether.

From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026

In recent weeks they got an unlikely ally in loggers who said scuttling the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2025

Three large black spiders were scuttling around inside it.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

Related Words

• scamper
• scurry