Meaning & use
scuppers
Last updated
Meanings
nounusually pluraltechnical
Openings along the edge of a ship's deck that let water drain off into the sea.
Grammar: Usually plural: the scuppers were blocked.
Patterns
- water runs through the scuppers
- clog the scuppers
Water poured through the scuppers after the big wave hit.
The crew cleared the scuppers so the deck would drain.
verbtransitiveBritishinformal
Third person singular of scupper: ruins or destroys a plan or hope.
Grammar: Takes an object: the delay scuppers the deal.
Patterns
- scupper something
Bad weather scuppers the event every year.
A single mistake scuppers the whole plan.
Word forms
| base form of verb | scupper |
|---|---|
| past tense of verb | scuppered |
| -ing form of verb | scuppering |
Common combinations
- water through the scuppers
- Water drained through the scuppers as the deck tilted.
- blocked scuppers
- Blocked scuppers can cause flooding on deck.
- clear the scuppers
- The sailors cleared the scuppers after the storm.
- scuppers a plan
- One missed call scuppers a plan like that.
- scuppers the deal
- Lack of funding scuppers the deal.
Synonyms and how they differ
- drains
- Drains is a general word for outlets, while scuppers are the ones built into a ship's deck edge.
- ruins
- Ruins is neutral and strong, while scuppers as a verb sounds British and usually concerns plans.
- wrecks
- Wrecks suggests heavier damage than scuppers does.
Word family
Commonly confused: scuppers or scuttle?
scuppers vs scuttle
To scuttle is to sink a ship on purpose or to run quickly; scuppers are the drainage holes on a deck.
Practice
After the big wave, water drained off the deck through the ____.
Choose one answer.
Scuppers are the openings that let water drain from a ship's deck. Masts, anchors and sails do not drain water.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scuppers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.