scuttle

¹ American  

[skuht-l] / ˈskʌt l /

noun

1. Nautical.

   1. a small hatch or port in the deck, side, or bottom of a vessel.

   2. a cover for this.

2. a small hatchlike opening in a roof or ceiling.

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verb (used with object)

scuttled, scuttling

1. to sink (a vessel) deliberately, especially by opening seacocks or making openings in the hull.

2. to abandon, withdraw from, or cause to be abandoned or destroyed (as plans, hopes, rumors, etc.).

scuttle ² American  

[skuht-l] / ˈskʌt l /

verb (used without object)

scuttled, scuttling

1. to run with quick, hasty steps; scurry.

   Synonyms:

   scramble, scamper, hurry, hasten

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noun

1. a quick pace.

2. a short, hurried run.

scuttle ³ American  

[skuht-l] / ˈskʌt l /

noun

1. a deep bucket for carrying coal.

2. British Dialect. a broad, shallow basket.

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scuttle ¹ British  

/ ˈskʌtəl /

noun

1. See coal scuttle

2. dialect a shallow basket, esp for carrying vegetables

3. the part of a motor-car body lying immediately behind the bonnet

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scuttle ² British  

/ ˈskʌtəl /

verb

1. (tr) nautical to cause (a vessel) to sink by opening the seacocks or making holes in the bottom

2. (tr) to give up (hopes, plans, etc)

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noun

1. nautical a small hatch or its cover

scuttle ³ British  

/ ˈskʌtəl /

verb

1. (intr) to run or move about with short hasty steps

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noun

1. a hurried pace or run

Etymology

Origin of scuttle¹

First recorded in 1490–1500; of obscure origin; perhaps from Middle French escoutille or Spanish escotilla “hatchway,” equivalent to Spanish escot(e) “a cutting of cloth” + -illa, diminutive suffix; of Germanic origin; compare Gothic skaut “hem, seam”; see also sheet ¹ ( def. ))

Origin of scuttle²

First recorded in 1450–1500; late Middle English scottlynge “scampering” (gerund), variant of scuddle, frequentative of scud ¹

Origin of scuttle³

First recorded in before 1050; Middle English scutel(le), scuttel “dish, basket, winnowing fan,” Old English scutel “dish, trencher, platter,” from Latin scutella, diminutive of scutra “shallow dish, pan”

Explanation

When you scuttle, you move with quick anxious steps, like a bug running for cover when a light is turned on. Use the word scuttle when you want to describe running or fast walking that’s characterized by short, hasty steps, like someone or something that tries to hurry — a person who is late for work scuttling through a crowd of slow-moving pedestrians — but can't. Scuttle has a number of other meanings. As a noun, it can refer to a container for coal or a hatch on a ship. If you scuttle a plan, you cancel or undermine it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scuttle scuttled scuttling

The sharp capacity crunch has caused consternation among power users, forced companies to scuttle products and led to reliability problems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 13, 2026

And what does success in these negotiations look like - a fully-formed peace deal, or just productive initial talks that don't scuttle the temporary ceasefire?

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2026

Analysts don’t expect any delay to scuttle the fragile U.S.-China truce or a future meeting, with modest demands from both sides still likely.

From Barron's ● Mar. 17, 2026

Paramount executives have leaned into a multi-pronged strategy to scuttle the Netflix deal since December.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 26, 2026

He grasped the scuttle on the hearth and rattled an avalanche of coal on the fire.

From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

Pipeline developers are already piecing together an alternative to the scuttled Keystone expansion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

An economic downturn scuttled the plans, leaving the state landlord of homes it didn’t maintain, said Neil Steininger, former director of Alaska’s office of management and budget.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026

By 1992, more than $50 million had been spent in restoration and renovation, but the project was scuttled by a bankruptcy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026

The CEO’s dismissal scuttled any hopes of a quick reset.

From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026

Sure enough, the white turtle perked up and scuttled after the others.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

His greatest sadness was for Lacey, who should have had his name in lights but instead was part of a team scuttling off the pitch to the sound of boos and harsher criticism.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

And so, some still mull just scuttling the agency.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

Saudi Arabia abruptly canceled two large construction contracts at one of the most ambitious projects in the world, scuttling plans to bring skiing to the desert kingdom.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

The EU ended up accepting it instead of scuttling a deal altogether.

From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026

They had pulled aside the curtains and were watching a couple of mice scuttling in the shadows on the other side of the street.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

Related Words

• scamper
• scurry