Sarbut means: Sarbut is British regional slang for a police informer - someone who rats to the cops. It's the kind of word you'd hear in tight-knit working-class communities where grassing someone up was. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. As a place or proper-name reference it is purely descriptive.
sarbut
Sarbut is British regional slang for a police informer — someone who rats to the cops.
Etymology timeline
Born ~1973 · no dated citations yetBoomer / counterculture eraSee decade cohort →
Definitions
UK
#1·Apr 28, 2026UK
Sarbut is British regional slang for a police informer — someone who rats to the cops. It's the kind of word you'd hear in tight-knit working-class communities where grassing someone up was considered a serious social transgression. While less widespread than snitch or grass, sarbut carries the same weight of distrust and contempt. Being called a sarbut in the wrong neighbourhood meant your credibility was finished.
Nobody trusted him after that — word got round he was a sarbut and that was that.
Origin: Editorial expansion authored on Slangora (model-assisted, hedged).
For parents
Sarbut means: Sarbut is British regional slang for a police informer - someone who rats to the cops. It's the kind of word you'd hear in tight-knit working-class communities where grassing someone up was. It is informal slang, fine in casual speech but not suited to formal contexts. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. As a place or proper-name reference it is purely descriptive.
For ESL learners
sarbut means: Sarbut is British regional slang for a police informer - someone who rats to the cops. It's the kind of word you'd hear in tight-knit working-class communities where grassing. Register: very informal, slang. Suitable only for casual conversation, chat and social media. Do not use in business, academic or news writing. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.
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UK
#2·Apr 27, 2026UK
(UK, regional) A police informer.
Cluster: general
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For specific readers
Why is this section here?
Slang is read by different audiences for very different reasons. The For parents view re-explains the term in plain, non-judgemental language so a caregiver can understand what their child means without needing the surrounding subculture. The For English learners view focuses on register (when it's safe to use), formal alternatives, and common mistakes — what a textbook won't teach you.
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UK
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🇬🇧About British & Irish slang slang
UK and Irish slang — Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Yorkshire, Glaswegian, Brummie, Welsh, West Country, plus Irish English. Centuries of regional dialects feeding into modern British and Irish street talk.
See all British & Irish slang slang on Slangora.
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Other words near "sarbut" (S)
SarahSarahiSaraisaranghaeSaran WrapSaratoga chipSarf LondonSariyahsarkarsarkarisarkari Muslimsarkful
Browse all slang words starting with S.