scull

1 of 2

noun

ˈskəl 

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

Synonyms

Verb

• oar
• paddle
• row

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

Kneeling beside a stream 30 miles north of McCall in late August, Emmit Taylor Jr. watched two Chinook salmon scull upstream. —Kevin Fixler, Idaho Statesman, 5 Feb. 2025

Up next: Men’s pair sculls semifinal, July 30 5:10 a.m. Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Diana Taurasi, women’s basketball CT connection: UConn All three former Huskies stars started for Team USA in a 102-76 rout of Japan. —Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 29 July 2024

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

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

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

Rhymes for scull

• cull
• dull
• gul
• gull
• lull
• ndebele
• null
• skull
• stull
• trull
• tulle
• seagull

Kids Definition

scull

1 of 2 noun

ˈskəl 

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