Meaning & use
water cooler talk
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableinformalAmerican
Casual conversation between colleagues about everyday or personal matters, not about work itself.
Grammar: Uncountable: say 'some water cooler talk' or 'a bit of water cooler talk', not 'a water cooler talk'.
Patterns
- water cooler talk about someone/something
- a bit of water cooler talk
- office water cooler talk
Most of the water cooler talk today was about the big match last night.
She avoids water cooler talk and gets straight to work.
A little water cooler talk can help new staff feel part of the team.
noununcountableinformalAmerican
Rumors or unofficial news that spread among employees in an office.
Grammar: Used for the gossip itself; often followed by 'about' or 'that'.
Patterns
- water cooler talk about something
- water cooler talk that ...
- the subject of water cooler talk
The merger was water cooler talk for weeks before it was announced.
According to water cooler talk, the manager is leaving.
Their new product became the water cooler talk of the whole industry.
Common combinations
- a bit of water cooler talk
- We had a bit of water cooler talk before the meeting started.
- water cooler talk about someone
- There was a lot of water cooler talk about the new director.
- the subject of water cooler talk
- His sudden resignation became the subject of water cooler talk.
- office water cooler talk
- Office water cooler talk is rarely based on facts.
- engage in water cooler talk
- Managers sometimes join in the water cooler talk to hear what people think.
Synonyms and how they differ
- small talk
- Polite chat about unimportant topics with anyone; water cooler talk is specifically the office version and often includes gossip.
- gossip
- Stronger and more disapproving: it stresses unkind or unverified talk about people, while water cooler talk can be harmless.
- chit-chat
- A friendly, informal word for light conversation, but it does not carry the workplace setting.
- the grapevine
- Refers to the informal system that carries news through an organization, not the chat itself.
Word family
- water cooler noun
- A machine that dispenses chilled drinking water, traditionally the place where such chat happens.
Commonly confused: water cooler talk or water cooler talk vs water cooler?
water cooler talk vs water cooler talk vs water cooler
'Water cooler' is the machine; 'water cooler talk' is the conversation people have near it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'water cooler talk' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Water cooler talk' means informal office chat or rumor, which fits the sentence about the office move. Option A wrongly makes it a verb, C confuses it with a formal 'talk' or lecture, and D confuses the phrase with the water cooler machine itself.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “water cooler talk”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.