Home › Words › S › scupperscupper/ˈskʌpə/scupper means A drainage hole on the deck of a ship.Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, scupper ranks #2,614 of 42,762 for Qualifying.scupper is pronounced /ˈskʌpə/.EtymologyUncertain. Perhaps from Middle English scope (“scoop”) or Dutch schop (“shovel”) + -er; or from Dutch scheppen (“to draw off”).nounA drainage hole on the deck of a ship.A similar opening in a wall or parapet that allows water to drain from a roof.verbTo thwart or destroy, especially something belonging or pertaining to another.e.g.“The bad media coverage scuppered his chances of being elected.”Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.scuttlebutt 60% match — Originally (now chiefly historical), a cask with a hole cut into its top, used to provide drinking water on board a ship; now (by extension, informal), a drinking fountain on a modern ship. vs scupper →downspout 59% match — A vertical pipe or conduit that carries rainwater from the scupper, guttering of a building to a lower roof level, drain, ground or storm water runoff system. vs scupper →oarhole 59% match — a slot or opening in the side of a galley or ship through which an oar is fitted vs scupper →gutterspout 58% match — The spout of a gutter. vs scupper →drainhole 58% match — A hole for drainage. vs scupper →hawsehole 56% match — The hole through which a ship's anchor rope is passed. vs scupper →hatchway 56% match — A means of passing through a wall or floor, having a hatch (especially on a ship); a doorway with a hatch rather than a door. vs scupper →seacock 56% match — A valve in the hull of a vessel used to let in water, either to clean the bilges, flood a ballast tank, or scuttle the vessel. vs scupper →