scuttlebutt
Americannoun
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Nautical.
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an open cask of drinking water.
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a drinking fountain for use by the crew of a vessel.
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Informal. rumor or gossip.
noun
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a drinking fountain
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(formerly) a cask of drinking water aboard a ship
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slang rumour or gossip
Etymology
Origin of scuttlebutt
1795–1805; 1900–05 scuttlebutt for def. 2; scuttle 1 + butt 4
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s because the scuttlebutt on the grounds has been that the gnome is heading for retirement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 10, 2026
The show paired the expected scuttlebutt around marriage matches, clandestine rendezvous and heartbreak with a modernist take on the elite set of 19th century England.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
I’ve heard scuttlebutt from the donor community, some of whom are reportedly miffed to have their microscopically printed names out of circulation.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 23, 2022
All day long, on the city's brassy talk-radio stations and in the coffee shops where insiders gathered to swap scuttlebutt, Marcos' loyalists were roasted, even mocked.
From Salon ● Nov. 7, 2021
We arrived home to a very special heroes’ welcome: the town had been starving outright for good scuttlebutt.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
