scuttle
1Nautical.
a small hatch or port in the deck, side, or bottom of a vessel.
a cover for this.
a small hatchlike opening in a roof or ceiling.
to sink (a vessel) deliberately, especially by opening seacocks or making openings in the hull.
to abandon, withdraw from, or cause to be abandoned or destroyed (as plans, hopes, rumors, etc.).
Origin of scuttle
1Words Nearby scuttle
Other definitions for scuttle (2 of 3)
a quick pace.
a short, hurried run.
Origin of scuttle
2Other words for scuttle
Other definitions for scuttle (3 of 3)
a deep bucket for carrying coal.
British Dialect. a broad, shallow basket.
Origin of scuttle
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use scuttle in a sentence
By one count, 20 industry lobbyists were in the halls trying to scuttle SB 962 as it came to a vote nine days later.
An ostentatious display of Japanese military might could scuttle those negotiations.
Japan Prepares to Shoot North Korean Missiles Out of the Sky | Angela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein | April 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBryk came in third, but he notes with pride that he bested the coal scuttle helmet man in his home county.
Brooklyn’s Lazy Carpetbagger Sets His Sights on an Alaska Senate Seat | David Freedlander | December 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAny disagreement we had with them was criticized as an attempt to scuttle the building of the memorial.
The Eisenhower Family Objects to the Eisenhower Monument | David Frum | March 21, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTMarco Rubio, on the other hand, led the GOP effort to scuttle the thing on abortion-related grounds.
And Robinson heard him scuttle about and hastily convene small boys and dispatch them down the road to look at an honest man.
It Is Never Too Late to Mend | Charles ReadeIn a minute or two, a black head was seen to rise slowly and fearfully out of the fore-scuttle, then it disappeared.
Newton Forster | Captain Frederick MarryatThe water then flowed in from the top through the deck scuttle forward of the collision bulkhead.
Loss of the Steamship 'Titanic' | British GovernmentIt was by this scuttle that access was obtained to all the decks below C down to the peak tank top on the orlop deck.
Loss of the Steamship 'Titanic' | British GovernmentThe fore-scuttle hatch was closed to keep everything dark before the bridge.
Loss of the Steamship 'Titanic' | British Government
British Dictionary definitions for scuttle (1 of 3)
/ (ˈskʌtəl) /
See coal scuttle
dialect, mainly British a shallow basket, esp for carrying vegetables
the part of a motor-car body lying immediately behind the bonnet
Origin of scuttle
1British Dictionary definitions for scuttle (2 of 3)
/ (ˈskʌtəl) /
(intr) to run or move about with short hasty steps
a hurried pace or run
Origin of scuttle
2British Dictionary definitions for scuttle (3 of 3)
/ (ˈskʌtəl) /
(tr) nautical to cause (a vessel) to sink by opening the seacocks or making holes in the bottom
(tr) to give up (hopes, plans, etc)
nautical a small hatch or its cover
Origin of scuttle
3Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Browse