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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
Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
This witty exploration of the history of gossip comes from a good authority on the subject; McKinney is a co-creator and the former host of the popular podcast Normal Gossip, in which guests and listeners submit anonymous scuttlebutt about regular people that range from the juicy to the bizarre.
—Rhian Sasseen, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Dakota County data center review Dakota County Commissioner Joe Atkins addressed the Inver Grove Heights data center scuttlebutt with a detailed Facebook post on Feb 24.
—Elliot Mann, Twin Cities, 5 Mar. 2026
Since it’s never existed before, the Casting Oscar was the subject of much pre-nomination scuttlebutt.
—Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scuttlebutt
Cite this Entry
“Scuttlebutt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scuttlebutt. Accessed 26 Mar. 2026.
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scuttlebutt
noun
