scuttled

[skuht-ld]

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 scuttle.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scuttled¹

First recorded in 1740–50; scuttle ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; scuttle ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Similar concerns scuttled the United Arab Emirates’ attempts to acquire the jet, he added.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Rising electricity prices are one reason data centers are facing a growing wave of local opposition, which has delayed or scuttled tens of billions of dollars worth of projects.

Read more on Barron's

Head down, he scuttled away like a nervous crab and disappeared into the shadowed hall.

Read more on Literature

He scuttled into the store as Roz and Zap trailed behind him.

Read more on Literature

But as Roz stomped closer and closer, the pigeons scuttled out of the way to let her pass by.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• scamper 
• scurry