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• chat
  chat

  verb (used without object)

  to converse in a familiar or informal manner.
• Chât.
  Chât.

  abbreviation

  (especially in Bordeaux wines) Château.

chat

¹ American  

[chat] / tʃæt /

verb (used without object)

chatted, chatting

1. to converse in a familiar or informal manner.

   Synonyms:

   visit, gossip, chitchat, talk

2. Digital Technology. to participate with one or more people, through the internet, in a real-time conversation, typically as a series of short text exchanges in a specific application, as instant messaging, or by using images, voice, video, or some combination of these.

   The kids were able to chat with their grandma online.

   Join our online community to chat about TV shows.

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noun

1. an informal conversation.

   We had a pleasant chat.

   Synonyms:

   visit, gossip, chitchat, talk

2. Digital Technology. a real-time conversation between two or more people over the internet or another computer network.

   Join our free video chat. Have a live chat with one of our customer service representatives.

3. any of several small Old World thrushes, especially of the genus Saxicola, having a chattering cry.

4. yellow-breasted chat.

adjective

1. Digital Technology. noting or relating to an online chat.

   a chat session.

verb phrase

1. chat up

   1. to talk flirtatiously with.

   2. to talk to in a friendly, open way.

Chât. ² American  

abbreviation

1. (especially in Bordeaux wines) Château.

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chat ¹ British  

/ tʃæt /

noun

1. informal conversation or talk conducted in an easy familiar manner

2. the exchange of messages in an internet or other network chatroom

3. any Old World songbird of the subfamily Turdinae (thrushes, etc) having a harsh chattering cry See also stonechat whinchat

4. any of various North American warblers, such as Icteria virens ( yellow-breasted chat )

5. any of various Australian wrens (family Muscicapidae ) of the genus Ephthianura and other genera

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verb

1. to talk in an easy familiar way

2. to exchange messages in a chatroom

chat ² British  

/ tʃæt /

noun

1. archaic a catkin, esp a willow catkin

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Other Word Forms

• chattable
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of chat

First recorded in 1400–50; (verb) late Middle English chatt(e); short for chatter

Explanation

When you chat, you have a brief, casual conversation. You might chat with your mail carrier when she delivers a package to your door. If you're in a talkative mood, you can chat with your roommate, the bus driver, your boss, and a drugstore cashier all before lunchtime. The conversation that happens when you chat is also called a chat: "Let's sit down and have a chat sometime this week." The earliest meaning of chat was "frivolous talk," which now is more likely to be called chatter or chitchat.

Example Sentences

Meta has introduced a new incognito chat option for its AI model.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 13, 2026

“The Glenn Beck Program” aired a chat with Roy on Feb. 18.

From Salon • May 13, 2026

But a cyber security expert has told the BBC this could lead to a lack of accountability for WhatsApp if things go wrong, as they would have no access to chat history.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

The end of the U.S.’s global oil dominance was sealed in 1949 when Venezuela, with the world’s largest reserves, asked to have a chat with Middle East exporters Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

And the way his voice gets on chat when he’s talking to you?

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

Related Words

• chatter
• conversation
• gossip