scuttled

American  

[skuht-ld] / ˈskʌt ld /

adjective

1. (of a vessel) deliberately sunk, often by opening seacocks or making openings in the hull.

   It is important to ensure that the scuttled vessel is suitably weighted and negatively buoyant so it will sink rapidly and remain stable on the bottom.

2. abandoned, dropped, cut, or thwarted, as a hope, plan, program, etc..

   In the fallout over the scuttled deal, two executives were fired for ethical violations related to the negotiations.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of scuttle.

Etymology

Origin of scuttled

First recorded in 1740–50; scuttle ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; scuttle ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Rising electricity prices are one reason data centers are facing a growing wave of local opposition, which has delayed or scuttled tens of billions of dollars worth of projects.

From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025

In a 3-1 defeat of the Blue Jays that scuttled a potential Halloween-night, championship-clinching party at a sold-out Rogers Centre, the Dodgers did just enough to keep their season alive.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 31, 2025

The U.S., on the other hand, scuttled almost all its weapons of that type long ago.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2025

The Honolulu Harbour Board confirmed it had the ship towed into deep water about 25 miles offshore on Wednesday and then scuttled.

From BBC • Oct. 18, 2025

Theo nodded so vigorously the little lory raised her wings and scuttled sideways down his arm.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee

Related Words

• scamper
• scurry