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

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

Was she trying to scuttle the Netflix takeover bid?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 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

Tillis withholding his vote could delay the nomination vote but is unlikely to scuttle the nomination, said Stephen Myrow, Beacon Policy Advisors managing partner.

From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026

Among us scratches and lumbers Vishnoo, the shipboard tortoise kept so that he might dispose of the roaches that hang on the beams and scuttle into the straw of our mattresses.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson

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

He has scuttled rare disease drugs because, in his view, they aren’t worth the cost since they don’t cure all patients, even if they slow progression and reduce symptoms.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 13, 2026

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

Then the claws retracted, and the massive creatures scuttled away from the encroaching jellyfish.

From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young

And so, some still mull just scuttling the agency.

From Slate ● Jun. 15, 2026

The forwards took the fight to France with relish, thumping into contact, scuttling several scrums and making the driving maul a weapon against a heavier pack.

From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026

A major winter storm has pummeled much of the East Coast, dumping around two feet of snow on cities and scuttling travel, work and school for millions of Americans between Virginia and Maine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026

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

From Barron's ● Feb. 3, 2026

Whatever the scuttling thing was, it had to be here somewhere.

From "Coraline" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• scamper
• scurry