as in scurrying
to proceed or move quickly
mice scuttling across the barn floor to escape the cats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of scuttling
Maya Singer, Vogue, 8 Apr. 2026
Paramount cliched its $31-a-share in cash merger for WBD on February 27, scuttling Warner’s previous agreement with Netflix.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
Passengers were abandoning them, like rats scuttling off a sinking ship, and people stood on the sidewalks, looking at their phones, or looking at the city, frowning, desperate.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
They're carried around by giant mechanical spiders, sometimes seen scuttling through the bowels of Jabba's Palace.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Artificial reefs, created by scuttling ships, sinking oil rigs, or dropping rubble into the sea, have long been known to improve aquatic life, so perhaps these findings are unsurprising.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Pro tip Tack on a night at the Balmoral prior to the trip to avoid any travel snafus scuttling your voyage, and perhaps a few more on the back end to allow proper time to reacclimate.
—Jake Emen, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2025
And speaking of funny, though the show is full of heavy hitters, scuttling between characters in the wings is its true secret weapon, Ikechukwu Ufomadu.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Another clip shows the robot scuttling across the floor, both impressive and disconcerting, prompting reactions ranging from awe to genuine unease.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Verb
Downstairs, a styling session for the fall 2026 collection; up here, on the fourth floor, almost every inch of space is taken by patternmakers, bolts of fabric, designers scuttling about, and racks and more racks of clothes.
—Maya Singer, Vogue, 8 Apr. 2026
Paramount cliched its $31-a-share in cash merger for WBD on February 27, scuttling Warner’s previous agreement with Netflix.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 7 Apr. 2026
Passengers were abandoning them, like rats scuttling off a sinking ship, and people stood on the sidewalks, looking at their phones, or looking at the city, frowning, desperate.
—Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2026
They're carried around by giant mechanical spiders, sometimes seen scuttling through the bowels of Jabba's Palace.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Artificial reefs, created by scuttling ships, sinking oil rigs, or dropping rubble into the sea, have long been known to improve aquatic life, so perhaps these findings are unsurprising.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 19 Dec. 2025
Pro tip Tack on a night at the Balmoral prior to the trip to avoid any travel snafus scuttling your voyage, and perhaps a few more on the back end to allow proper time to reacclimate.
—Jake Emen, Robb Report, 18 Dec. 2025
And speaking of funny, though the show is full of heavy hitters, scuttling between characters in the wings is its true secret weapon, Ikechukwu Ufomadu.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Another clip shows the robot scuttling across the floor, both impressive and disconcerting, prompting reactions ranging from awe to genuine unease.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scuttling
Noun
-
At least, there was a lot less wrecking.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Feb. 2026
-
The Ravens haven’t really had that game-wrecking pass rusher since Terrell Suggs was in his prime.—
The Athletic NFL Staff,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Your eyes may see the prairie dogs digging and scurrying.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
-
An over-excited group of fans celebrated the two saves by breaking a pane of glass behind the Kings bench, sending the coaches scurrying and pausing the game for several minutes as workmen repaired the damage.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
No point hurrying toward a resolution that was always receding.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Instead of hurrying to break up tents and scatter RVs, Lee and Oakland’s interim homelessness chief Sasha Hauswald want city workers to focus on minimizing trash and human waste around encampments.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But the public debuts of SpaceX and other companies could add pressure to the Magnificent Seven, given that investors rushing to make space for the IPOs will have to offload existing holdings.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
-
In footage obtained by NBC DFW and Fox 4, Zapata could be seen rushing the resident to safety following the gunfire before being hit by shrapnel in his eye and calling authorities for assistance.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
When that lightsaber goes flying across the Wampa cave?—
Mike Ryan,
IndieWire,
4 May 2026
-
JetBlue, for example, is offering $99 one-way fares for Spirit customers flying on the same route through Wednesday, May 6.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Surveillance video obtained by Atlanta News First showed a car speeding through the parking lot before hitting Perry’s vehicle parked near the entrance.—
Kimberlee Speakman,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
-
Large components could be built offsite and assembled at the plant, reducing costs and speeding up deployment.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Whilst the Yangtze River Delta has become the nexus of full-stack, frontier generative AI models, Shenzhen is racing ahead as the powerhouse of China’s embodied AI and hardware efforts.—
Brian Wong,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
-
Our roundtable on states racing to redraw maps ahead of the midterms.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Did the connotations of travelling with Spirit carry a sense of embarrassment?—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
9 May 2026
-
Residents of multiple countries, including the United States, are being monitored for hantavirus after traveling on the MV Hondius, an Oceanwide Expeditions cruise ship now tied to several cases of the virus.—
Eve Chen,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scuttling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scuttling. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
