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:
Don’t let a bad stairwell scupper your plans.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
For a moment, that stand-off threatened to scupper the entire event.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 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
Then he pivoted, alleging "internal and external" forces had been working to scupper the MindsEye launch.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025
Kabuo stood on the edge of the hatch cover and washed gull droppings 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
The nearby gargoyle scuppers are a little older, having been installed in 1856.
From The New Yorker ● May 13, 2019
The development deals a blow to Wong and Law's fledgling party, Demosisto, and scuppers Wong's hopes of running for the legislature after he attains the age of majority in October.
From Time ● Aug. 17, 2017
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
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
He later became increasingly visible in the diplomatic arena, travelling to Gulf states such as Oman and Qatar as Tehran cautiously engaged in nuclear negotiations that were ultimately scuppered by the war.
From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026
The 277-metre-long Arctic Metagaz has been drifting without a crew since a series of explosions scuppered the vessel off Libya on March 3.
From Barron's ● Mar. 15, 2026
"You'll get scuppered if you're caught," he warned me.
From Jimgrim and Allah's Peace by Talbot Mundy
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
Unite was itself previously accused of scuppering a potential deal, a claim which it denied.
From BBC ● May 21, 2025
Treasury yields on Monday 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
The scuppering came as a surprise to many in the publishing industry, which has consolidated in recent years.
From New York Times ● Nov. 22, 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.
