1. rumors or gossip, especially among a group of people
Usage: informal
2. a drinking fountain on a ship
Usage: nautical; historical

Examples

• The office scuttlebutt suggested layoffs were coming.
• Don’t believe everything you hear through the scuttlebutt.
• According to the scuttlebutt, the new manager starts Monday.
• The sailors gathered around the scuttlebutt to get fresh water.
• Workplace scuttlebutt can be unreliable and harmful.
• The scuttlebutt about the merger turned out to be false.