scuttled

[ skuht-ld ]
See synonyms for scuttled on Thesaurus.com
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.

verb
  1. the simple past tense and past participle of scuttle1.

Origin of scuttled

1
First recorded in 1740–50; scuttle1 + -ed2 for the adjective senses; scuttle1 + -ed1 for the verb sense

Words Nearby scuttled

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use scuttled in a sentence

  • My spurs fairly lifted the dun horse, and we scuttled in the opposite direction like a scared antelope.

    Raw Gold | Bertrand W. Sinclair
  • In her nostrils was the autumn perfume of the woods, and as they strode forward in silence a rabbit scuttled from their path.

    The Doctor of Pimlico | William Le Queux
  • I covered the entire floor, shaking a bit in nervousness as a rat scuttled to safety.

  • The smugglers scuttled the ship and endeavoured to escape, but were captured, and are thought to have been all hanged.

    The Belted Seas | Arthur Colton
  • From the grass nine Indians arose, stooped, and scuttled off like a covey of running quail.

    Blazed Trail Stories | Stewart Edward White