scupper

[US]/'skʌpə/
[UK]/'skʌpɚ/
Frequency: Very High

Translation

vt. cause a ship to sink
n. drain hole; [slang, derogatory] a woman with loose morals
Word Forms
Present Participlescuppering
Third Person Singularscuppers
Past Participlescuppered
Past Tensescuppered
Pluralscuppers

Phrases & Collocations

scupper hole

scupper plug

Example Sentences

The project was scuppered by lack of money.

plans for a bypass were scuppered by a public inquiry.

The opposite problem—an excess of patriotism, not xenophilia—may scupper Bharti's deal with MTN.

Any sponsorship deal would be scuppered if Jones misses the Olympics.

The leaky roof scuppered our plans for a picnic.

His reckless behavior scuppered his chances of promotion.

The unexpected storm scuppered our sailing trip.

A lack of funding scuppered the new business venture.

The rival team's strong defense scuppered our chances of winning.

The company's bankruptcy scuppered the merger deal.

The virus outbreak scuppered our travel plans.

The faulty equipment scuppered the experiment.

The lack of support from management scuppered the team's morale.

The sudden change in regulations scuppered the project timeline.

Real-world Examples

This would scupper any chance that shareholders can be paid much out of profits, perhaps for years.

Source: The Economist (Summary)

Ambitious plans for a city-centre retail development to rival Meadowhall were scuppered by the crash of 2008.

Source: The Guardian (Article Version)

We should acknowledge that confusion is natural, and fear entirely normal, but let neither of these scupper our chances forever.

Source: The school of life

The project was scuppered in the end by a mix of political queasiness over the fallout

Source: The Economist (Summary)

It wasn't clear if the Houthis advance would scupper the agreement or it's essentially a part of its choreography.

Source: BBC Listening September 2014 Compilation

The two sides face the same issues that have scuppered past peace initiatives, including Israeli settlements on the West Bank.

Source: BBC Listening Collection August 2013

The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle.

Source: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Big fat droplets, sliding down our goose-pimpled skin, scupper our attempts to get dry afterwards.

Source: Friday Flash Fiction - 100-word Micro Fiction

Such deals have become politically toxic in America, but the White House denied that the new regulations were intended specifically to scupper the Pfizer-Allergan deal.

Source: The Economist (Summary)

A mooted freeze in oil output among most of the world's big producers was scuppered when talks collapsed in Doha, the Qatari capital.

Source: The Economist (Summary)

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