scull
Americannoun
-
sculls
plural
-
an oar mounted on a fulcrum at the stern of a small boat and moved from side to side to propel the boat forward.
-
either of a pair of oars rowed by one rower.
-
a boat propelled by an oar or oars.
-
a light, narrow racing boat for one, two, or sometimes four rowers, each equipped with a pair of oars.
-
sculls, a race involving such boats.
verb (used with object)
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sculls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sculled,
past participle, past
-
sculling
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
sculls,
present (3rd person singular)
-
sculled,
past participle, past
-
sculling
present participle
noun
-
a single oar moved from side to side over the stern of a boat to propel it
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one of a pair of short-handled oars, both of which are pulled by one oarsman, esp in a racing shell
-
a racing shell propelled by an oarsman or oarsmen pulling two oars
-
(plural) a race between racing shells, each propelled by one, two, or four oarsmen pulling two oars
-
an act, instance, period, or distance of sculling
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
scullsimple
-
scullssimple
-
have sculledperfect
-
has sculledperfect
-
am scullingprogressive
-
are scullingprogressive
-
is scullingprogressive
-
have been scullingperfect progressive
-
has been scullingperfect progressive
Past
-
sculledsimple
-
had sculledperfect
-
was scullingprogressive
-
were scullingprogressive
-
had been scullingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of scull
1300–50; Middle English sculle < ?
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:
Back on land, the crew donned blazers and burned an old wooden scull in Peterhouse’s garden.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
A few etymologists liken the scooped blade of the scull to the hollow basin of the skull—and others have argued that humans once made these drinking-bowls from actual human skulls.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2021
New Zealand's Emma Twigg cruised to gold in the single scull, with Hannah Prakatsen, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, taking silver.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2021
Usually twice a week since August, I ease myself into a one-person scull, push away from the dock, do “eggbeater” drills to remind myself of the boat’s feel.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2020
The pericranium and dura mater adhered firmly to the scull; in many places there was an opake whiteness of the tunica arachnoides.
From Observations on Insanity With Practical Remarks on the Disease and an Account of the Morbid Appearances on Dissection by John Haslam
The author, who lives in Culver City, is still married to the erstwhile sailor, but she now sculls at UCLA’s Marina Aquatics Center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025
The author, who lives in Culver City, is still married to the erstwhile sailor, but she now sculls at UCLA’s Marina Aquatic Center.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2025
And to finish off the morning, GB’s Annabel Caddick and Samuel Murray secured silver in the PR3 mixed double sculls after holding off the threat of German duo Jan Helmich and Hermine Krumbein.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2024
In the mixed double sculls PR3, Great Britain's Annie Caddick and Sam Murray pipped Germany to claim silver.
From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2024
The Vancouver Rowing Club, hearing of their reputation in England, commissioned them to build two single sculls for one hundred dollars apiece.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
They sculled upside-down, slapped their pecs and flukes seemingly just for fun, maybe just to hear the resonant, smacking sound.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 29, 2019
"I sculled my tee shot on 17. It never got much off the ground and hit the ground only about 70 or 80 yards from the tee," Miller said.
From Golf Digest ● Jun. 25, 2019
Final flat whites were sculled at overpriced cafes and out-of-office signatures attached to emails.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 21, 2018
But on Sept. 23 the 72-year-old took to the Mississippi River near the Bass Street Landing and sculled for the first time in his life.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 17, 2014
Then the bright beam picked out the boat, with Walthew toiling, half-naked, at an oar, and Miguel's tall figure bending to and fro as he sculled astern.
From The Coast of Adventure by Harold Bindloss
A gifted athlete, he became the first Indian to win the Macklin Sculls - a prestigious single sculling race - at the Calcutta Lake Club in 1938.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
It was Lucy Pocock, the British women’s sculling champion and coach of the University of Washington women’s crew.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 21, 2023
The longer you stay underwater, kicking your feet, sculling your arms against all that heaviness and bright blue, the worse it gets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2022
During covid we got our sculling license, so we’d do some sculling for maybe an hour.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 8, 2021
“You seem a little old for this,” she said, sculling out spoons of flesh from her half melon.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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