scuttled; scuttling
ˈskə-tᵊl-iŋ 
ˈskət-liŋ
1
: a quick shuffling pace
2
: a short swift run
scuttled; scuttling
1
: destroy, wreck
also
: scrap sense 2
2
: to cut a hole through the bottom, deck, or side of (a ship)
specifically
: to sink or attempt to sink by making holes through the bottom
1
: a small opening in a wall or roof furnished with a lid: such as
a
: a small opening or hatchway in the deck of a ship large enough to admit a person and with a lid for covering it
b
: a small hole in the side or bottom of a ship fitted with a covering or glazed
2
: a covering that closes a scuttle
1
: a shallow open basket for carrying something (such as grain or garden produce)
2
: a metal pail that usually has a bail and a sloped lip and is used especially for carrying coal
Examples of scuttle in a Sentence
Verb (1)
mice scuttling across the barn floor to escape the cats
Recent Examples on the Web
Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Climate Central released a new version of the database yesterday, reproduced in full with new data collected since the project was scuttled.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2025
This scuttles a compromise, whereby paintings of Lee in his prewar blue Army uniform could remain while the portrait of Lee the secessionist and enslaver came down.
—Time, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuttle
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Verb
Hiding in dark places, scuttling in the daylight, allergic to real, authentic human contact.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Climate Central released a new version of the database yesterday, reproduced in full with new data collected since the project was scuttled.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
Discovery scuttles any long-term projections about MLB’s cable future, but TBS will continue televising national games through the end of its current deal.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 24 Sep. 2025
This scuttles a compromise, whereby paintings of Lee in his prewar blue Army uniform could remain while the portrait of Lee the secessionist and enslaver came down.
—Time, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuttle
Cite this Entry
“Scuttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scuttle. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scuttle
1 of 5 noun
scut·tle
ˈskət-ᵊl
: a metal pail for carrying coal
scuttle
2 of 5 noun
: a small opening (as in the deck of a ship or the roof of a house) with a lid or cover
also
: its lid
scuttle
5 of 5 noun1
: a quick scuffing pace
2
: a short swift run
Etymology
Noun
Middle English scutel "a shallow basket for carrying things," from Latin scutella "drinking bowl"
Noun
Middle English skottell "lid of a scuttle"
Verb
probably a combination of 1scud and 2shuttle
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