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

But at the same time, a prolonged shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz may scuttle an optimistic outlook, which central banks may be powerless to offset.

From Barron's ● May 1, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 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

Netflix won the bidding for the storied studio and HBO in December, prompting the spurned Paramount executives to launch a multipronged strategy to scuttle the Netflix deal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2026

Fallen leaves, battered and bleached, scuttle in swirls on the pavement.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

The Federal Trade Commission scuttled a Blockbuster acquisition External link of Hollywood Video in 2005 as a merger to monopoly; Blockbuster, the supposed rental behemoth, declared bankruptcy a few years later.

From Barron's ● Feb. 4, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025

In a potential sign of Netflix’s confidence, it agreed to pay Warner a so-called breakup fee of $5.8 billion if the deal was scuttled because the companies couldn’t obtain necessary approvals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 5, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 22, 2025

Then he became a mouse and scuttled to her neck.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

And so, some still mull just scuttling the agency.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

Higher bond yields risk scuttling a stellar rally for the broader market.

From Barron's ● May 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

But a scuttling of its pioneering law, and a new report on the dismal state of recycling in the state, shows things aren’t so green in the Golden State.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 17, 2026

The book snapped shut on his hand and then flapped past him, still scuttling on its covers.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

Related Words

• scamper
• scurry