scupper
1 Americannoun
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Nautical. a drain at the edge of a deck exposed to the weather, for allowing accumulated water to drain away into the sea or into the bilges.
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a drain, closed by one or two flaps, for allowing water from the sprinkler system of a factory or the like to run off a floor of the building to the exterior.
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any opening in the side of a building, as in a parapet, for draining off rainwater.
noun
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nautical a drain or spout allowing water on the deck of a vessel to flow overboard
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an opening in the side of a building for draining off water
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a drain in a factory floor for running off the water from a sprinkler system
verb
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slang to overwhelm, ruin, or disable
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to sink (one's ship) deliberately
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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scuppersimple
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scupperssimple
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have scupperedperfect
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has scupperedperfect
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am scupperingprogressive
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are scupperingprogressive
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is scupperingprogressive
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have been scupperingperfect progressive
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has been scupperingperfect progressive
Past
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scupperedsimple
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had scupperedperfect
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was scupperingprogressive
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were scupperingprogressive
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had been scupperingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scupper1
First recorded in 1475–85; Middle English skopor, scopper; further origin uncertain
Origin of scupper2
First recorded in 1880–85; originally British military slang “to massacre, slaughter”; further origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Meanwhile, the signing of England centre-back John Stones, 32, on a free transfer could scupper 28-year-old Argentina defender Cristian Romero's hopes of joining the Italian club from Tottenham.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Agents may also worry that lower fees send the wrong signal: that a property is unloved, lacks demand or harbors hidden flaws — the kind of perceptions that can help scupper a sale.
From MarketWatch ● May 19, 2026
While the UK economy was starting to recover at the start of the year, events in the Gulf still might scupper that.
From BBC ● May 14, 2026
That would scupper hopes of China peaking emissions earlier than a 2030 target, something analysts say could easily be achieved.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
Kabuo watched for one long moment—an occasional fish flaring at the gills or jerking—then pulled the hatch cover over them and sprayed sea slime out the scupper holes.
From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson
"They might have wanted to have children and it scuppers the life choices they thought they could make."
From BBC ● Dec. 27, 2022
French leaders have been scathing of the deal that scuppers a contract with France to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines for Australia.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 16, 2021
At the same time, dead fish and debris clogged the ship’s scuppers, trapping on board the water that should have drained off.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 12, 2019
The nearby gargoyle scuppers are a little older, having been installed in 1856.
From The New Yorker ● May 13, 2019
The fishing-boats are racing for home, and rise and dip in the ground swell as they sweep into the harbour, bending to the scuppers.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Their operation was planned to start on Sunday but has been scuppered by low visibility, Koga said, adding that their water-bombing operation eventually started on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
The goalkeeper had attracted interest from Juventus earlier in the window, with a finger injury understood to have scuppered a move.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
But the Western Avenue part of the project was scuppered in 1985, when an underground methane gas explosion at a Ross Dress for Less store in Fairfax raised concerns about tunnel safety.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026
A Joshua-Wilder bout had been scheduled for 2024 but the plans were scuppered when the American suffered a shock loss to Joseph Parker.
From BBC ● Apr. 5, 2026
You would probably have all been scuppered if we had got up with the ole man.
From On the Heels of De Wet by Lionel James
With the title on the line, Zielinski partnered Kawa to victory over the Swiss pair who had been unbeaten in the tournament, scuppering Bencic's attempt at a perfect 10-0 record in singles and doubles.
From Barron's ● Jan. 11, 2026
Ryan Garcia suffered a shock points loss to Rolando Romero at New York's iconic Times Square, scuppering a planned rematch with Devin Haney.
From BBC ● May 3, 2025
Treasury yields helped send the dollar to a fresh one-year high against the yen , while scuppering an early tech-led equity rally.
From Reuters ● Nov. 13, 2023
JetBlue Airways offered to buy its rival budget airline for about $3.6 billion, possibly scuppering Spirit’s merger with Frontier Airlines.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 6, 2022
This was partly due to a raid on our L. of C. scuppering some barge-loads of fuel, but chiefly to the boats getting stuck on mud banks.
From Letters from Mesopotamia in 1915 and January, 1916, from Robert Palmer, who was killed in the Battle of Um El Hannah, June 21, 1916, aged 27 years by Robert Stafford Arthur Palmer
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
