scuttled

American  

[skuht-ld] / ˈskʌt 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.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of scuttle.

Etymology

Origin of scuttled

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

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

In that case, China scuttled a deal between MSC, Denmark’s A.P.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025

The U.S., on the other hand, scuttled almost all its weapons of that type long ago.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2025

Nhamo refused to look at him, and after a moment Tag scuttled off to play with someone else.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• scamper
• scurry