scuttle
verb /ˈskʌtl/
/ˈskʌtl/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they scuttle | /ˈskʌtl/ /ˈskʌtl/ |
| he / she / it scuttles | /ˈskʌtlz/ /ˈskʌtlz/ |
| past simple scuttled | /ˈskʌtld/ /ˈskʌtld/ |
| past participle scuttled | /ˈskʌtld/ /ˈskʌtld/ |
| -ing form scuttling | /ˈskʌtlɪŋ/ /ˈskʌtlɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] + adv./prep. to run with quick short steps synonym scurry
- She scuttled off when she heard the sound of his voice.
- He held his breath as a rat scuttled past.
- The rain sent everyone scuttling for cover.
- [transitive] scuttle something to deliberately cause something to fail synonym foil
- Shareholders successfully scuttled the deal.
- [transitive] scuttle something to sink a ship deliberately by making holes in the side or bottom of itTopics Transport by waterc2
Word Originverb sense 1 late 15th cent.: compare with dialect scuddle, frequentative of scud. verb senses 2 to 3 late 15th cent. (as a noun): perhaps from Old French escoutille, from the Spanish diminutive escotilla ‘hatchway’. The verb dates from the mid 17th cent.