Meaning & use
scupper
Last updated
(chiefly British, informal) To ruin or wreck a plan before it can be carried out.
See it in a sentence
Heavy rain scuppered their plans for an outdoor wedding.
The last-minute funding cut scuppered the entire research project.
A note on using this word
Mostly heard in British and Australian English; a scupper is also literally an opening in a ship's side that lets water drain from the deck.
Words with a similar meaning
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Words with an opposite meaning
enablefacilitate
Another way to use it
2. noun
An opening in the side of a ship at deck level that allows water to drain into the sea.
Waves washed over the deck and drained out through the scuppers.
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