chat up
Britishverb
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to talk flirtatiously to (a person), esp with the intention of seducing him or her
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to talk persuasively to (a person), esp with an ulterior motive
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Talk flirtatiously to, as in Leave it to Charlie to chat up the girls . This usage is mostly but not entirely British. [Late 1800s]
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Engage in light, friendly talk, as in He was soon chatting up all the board members . [Mid-1900s]
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.
It’s a place where people pause to chat up strangers on oak-and-magnolia-draped streets, a place where boutiques sell smocked baby dresses and shirts with phrases such as “Pearls Are Always Appropriate.”
From Slate • May 4, 2026
The Florida governor sidled into a booth to chat up a pair of newlyweds.
From Reuters • Jul. 31, 2023
Longtime residents recounted stories of Carter dropping by the local ice cream parlor for dessert or swinging by a coffee shop to chat up patrons.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 19, 2023
That didn’t stop her from taking a moment to chat up her antic great-grandson during her Platinum Jubilee.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 9, 2022
Charles was also there, a few rows ahead of us, and at intermission when Shawn moved away to chat up a girl, he shuffled over.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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.
