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Synonyms

chitchat

American  
[chit-chat] / ˈtʃɪtˌtʃæt /

noun

  1. light conversation; casual talk; gossip.

verb (used without object)

chitchatted, chitchatting

  1. to indulge in chitchat; gossip.

chitchat British  
/ ˈtʃɪtˌtʃæt /

noun

  1. talk of a gossipy nature

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to gossip

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • chitchatty adjective

Etymology

Origin of chitchat

First recorded in 1700–10; gradational compound based on chat

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.

“You’re walking down the road. You see a coffee spot, get some coffee. Then you chitchat and then keep walking and do the same thing all over and over again.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

And since coverage in parks is rare—a tree sometimes—all the skaters usually huddle in the same shady place, making chitchat inevitable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 21, 2025

I knocked and walked into the room, starting with the usual idle chitchat.

From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025

These were among the points of pre-roundtable chitchat on a recent afternoon in West Hollywood when The Times gathered five musicians nominated for prizes at February’s 67th Grammy Awards.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2024

That attitude persisted as he was escorted to the table, made chitchat with the owner, and ordered his food.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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.