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
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- barrel
- belt
- blast
- blaze
- blow
- bolt
- bomb [slang]
- bowl
- breeze
- bundle
- bustle
- buzz
- cannonball
- careen
- career
- chase
- course
- crack (on)
- dash
- drive
- fly
- hare
- hasten
- hie
- highball
- hotfoot (it)
- hump
- hurl
- hurry
- hurtle
- hustle
- jet
- jump
- motor
- nip
- pelt
- race
- ram
- rip
- rocket
- run
- rush
- rustle
- scoot
- scurry
- shoot
- speed
- step
- tear
- travel
- trot
- whirl
- whisk
- zip
- zoom
Examples of scuttle in a Sentence
Verb (1)
mice scuttling across the barn floor to escape the cats
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Morris, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
The best Ito stories aren’t laid to rest on the final page but designed to scuttle around in our brains for some time after.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
Brett Berk, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
On the scuttle panel (the black strip of plastic between the windshield and hood), 60% of insects stuck it out.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for scuttle 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The two airlines reached a $2.9 billion buyout agreement in 2022, only to see that deal scuttled when JetBlue made a competing big.
—Chris Morris, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024
The best Ito stories aren’t laid to rest on the final page but designed to scuttle around in our brains for some time after.
—Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2024
Noun
Between the curb and façade, a familiar sidewalk scuttle defined the scene as an NYC film shoot.
—Brett Berk, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Oct. 2024
On the scuttle panel (the black strip of plastic between the windshield and hood), 60% of insects stuck it out.
—Byhannah Richter, science.org, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for scuttle
Articles Related to scuttle
Dictionary Entries Near scuttle
Cite this Entry
“Scuttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scuttle. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share