scuttlebutt
noun
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Scuttlebutt, the Water Cooler Talk of 19th Century Seafarers
When office workers catch up on the latest scuttlebutt around the water cooler, they are continuing a long-standing tradition that probably also occurred on sailing ships of yore. Back in the early 1800s, scuttlebutt (an alteration of scuttled butt) referred to a cask containing a ship’s daily supply of fresh water (scuttle means “to cut a hole through the bottom,” and butt means “cask”); that name was later applied to a drinking fountain on a ship or at a naval installation. In time, the term for the water source was also applied to the gossip and rumors disseminated around it, and the latest chatter has been called “scuttlebutt” ever since.
Examples of scuttlebutt in a Sentence
John Hollinger, New York Times, 16 June 2025
Go behind-the-scenes with two former Senate majority and minority leaders to get the real scuttlebutt on the political temperature and infighting in Washington.
—The Hill, 11 June 2025
In fact, the scuttlebutt amongst industry insiders has been mostly positive regarding 18A for quite a while.
—Marco Chiappetta, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
But simmering backlash to The Brutalist’s knottier second act—and, to a lesser extent, some scuttlebutt regarding the use of AI—could do it in; that the feature peaks about halfway through has become something of a prevailing opinion.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scuttlebutt
Cite this Entry
“Scuttlebutt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scuttlebutt. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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scuttlebutt
noun
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