scull

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: an oar used at the stern of a boat to propel it forward with a thwartwise motion
b
: either of a pair of oars usually less than 10 feet (3 meters) in length and operated by one person
2
: a racing shell propelled by one or two persons using sculls

scull

2 of 2

verb

sculled; sculling; sculls

transitive verb

: to propel (a boat) by sculls or by a large oar worked thwartwise

intransitive verb

: to scull a boat
sculler noun

Examples of scull in a Sentence

Noun He took first place in the single sculls. Verb She sculled along the river. a couple sculled past in a racing shell
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
British rower Imogen Grant — who won gold with Emily Craig in the women's lightweight double sculls on Aug. 2 — offered an in-depth look at the special display box and certificate that athletes are given to store their Olympic medals in a video shared on TikTok. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 23 Sep. 2024 Rollover Boat Blind Sneak boat or scull boat hunting was a popular method of shooting ducks during the market-hunting days. Joe Genzel, Outdoor Life, 4 Sep. 2024 His sister Alie was a 2020 Olympic rower in the quadruple sculls. Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 17 July 2024 The veteran rower will have a chance to add to her Olympic medal collection for the first time since 2012, when Kohler captured bronze in the quadruple sculls in Londo. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2024 Men’s double sculls semifinals, 5:10 p.m. Women’s four repechages, 5:30 a.m. Chris Morris, Fortune, 30 July 2024 Kristi Wagner, rowing CT connection: Yale Wagner and partner Sophie Vitas finished fifth in their semifinal heat of the women’s double sculls in a time of 7:04.12. Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 30 July 2024 Men’s and women’s double sculls finals; men’s and women’s fours finals | E! Los Angeles Times Staff, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2024 Local rower still alive in single sculls Clayton’s Kara Kohler advanced again as the 33-year-old rower continued the pursuit of her first Olympic medal since the 2012 Games in London. Jason Mastrodonato, The Mercury News, 30 July 2024
Verb
Others prefer a quieter approach with an electric trolling motor, or perhaps even drifting with river currents and steering with a sculling paddle. Will Brantley, Field & Stream, 1 June 2023 Regardless, Toro Arana was determined to learn how to scull. Olivia Reiner, USA TODAY, 23 July 2021 Then came a lost decade when the Great Eight sculling all-stars or collegians took the trophy as US Rowing either sent development boats or nobody at all. BostonGlobe.com, 21 Oct. 2019 Rowers competed in masters, junior, and novice categories in both sweep rowing and sculling events. Bill Roth, Anchorage Daily News, 23 July 2019 The next came when Jobe, who had put his tee shot into the bunker left of the green, chunked his recovery into the rough and then sculled his chip across the green. Don Markus, baltimoresun.com, 16 July 2017 Sitting snug in the rear of the boat, coxswains yell commands to rowers, drowning out wind and sculling noise. David Whiting, Orange County Register, 24 May 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scull.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English skulle

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1624, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of scull was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near scull

Cite this Entry

“Scull.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scull. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

scull

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: an oar used at the stern of a boat to drive it forward with a side-to-side motion
b
: one of a pair of short oars for use by one person
2
: a boat driven by one or more pairs of sculls

scull

2 of 2 verb
: to move a boat by a scull or sculls
sculler noun

More from Merriam-Webster on scull

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