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Glite Dictionary
💥 To ruin 🚢 A ship drain
to scupper

to scupper

1 8.9
To prevent a plan or action from succeeding
  • verb
  • /ˈskʌpər/
translation icon : frustrar
  • Her lack of preparation might scupper her chances of passing the exam.
  • scuppered chances

You can't because there's so many things that can happen, not least injury, you know, that can scupper everybody's dreams.

Examples

  • If we don't secure sponsorship soon, it will scupper the entire project.

  • But if we announce it and it fails to go off, we'd scupper any chance of a Japanese surrender.

    Oppenheimer (2023)

  • When I was little, I wanted to be a nurse, just like my mum, but an acute fear of needles scuppered those plans!

    Blog text (20)

  • It seems Piggot-Dunceby is set on scuppering my success at any cost.

    Missing Link (2019)

  • Rice has ambitions to take over from Clinton if Obama is re-elected, but the Benghazi debacle could scupper her chances.

    Blog text (5)

  • Hancock, I've got lunatics laughing at me from the woods, my original plan has been scuppered now that the Jeeps haven't arrived, my communications have completely broken down.

    A Bridge Too Far (1977)

  • The unexpected storm could scupper our plans for the outdoor event.

Synonyms

to hamper
vsto scupper
47 4.2

To make it harder for someone or something to move forward

often implies causing harm or serious disadvantage beyond mere difficulty
to foil
vsto scupper
36 5.5

To stop a plan or action from working

also implies causing a harmful or risky situation rather than only blocking plans
to stave off
vsto scupper
30 6.4

To stop something bad from happening for a while

usually adds the idea of putting someone at risk rather than just delaying harm
to head off
vsto scupper
23 4.8

Stop something from happening by acting early

often lacks the sense of harming or disadvantaging someone that the key includes
to stand in someone's way
vsto scupper
1 3.4

Stop someone from reaching their goal

can also place them in a risky or disadvantageous situation not only block
to obstruct someone's plans
vsto scupper
5.6

To stop someone on purpose from doing what they planned

can also mean putting someone in a dangerous or disadvantageous position beyond mere stopping

Antonyms

support
∞ 1.0

Help for a person or idea

to promote
566 3.2

Help something grow and become more successful

to facilitate
  • Formal
187 4.9

To make a task or process easier and help it happen

How Disruptive

to ruin
∞ 2.0
to sabotage
164 7.1
to scupper
1 8.9
to obstruct
119 5.1
to hinder
75 3.6
to delay
562 1.4

Surface Forms

scupper infinitive
scuppered past
scuppered past participle
scuppering present participle
scuppers third person singular

Etymology

Scupper as a verb grew from the ship idea: when sailors let water into a ship or open drains it could ruin or sink the ship, so a helpful way to remember the verb is that to scupper something is to 'spoil' it or 'prevent it from succeeding'.