chat
verb (used without object)
to converse in a familiar or informal manner.
chat
1 American
[chat]
/ tʃæt /
verb (used without object)
-
chats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
chatted,
past participle, past
-
chatting
present participle
-
to converse in a familiar or informal manner.
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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.
noun
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chats
plural
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an informal conversation.
We had a pleasant chat.
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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.
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any of several small Old World thrushes, especially of the genus Saxicola, having a chattering cry.
adjective
verb phrase
Chât.
2
American
abbreviation
chat
1
British
/ tʃæt /
noun
-
informal conversation or talk conducted in an easy familiar manner
-
the exchange of messages in an internet or other network chatroom
-
any Old World songbird of the subfamily Turdinae (thrushes, etc) having a harsh chattering cry See also stonechat whinchat
-
any of various North American warblers, such as Icteria virens ( yellow-breasted chat )
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any of various Australian wrens (family Muscicapidae ) of the genus Ephthianura and other genera
verb
-
to talk in an easy familiar way
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to exchange messages in a chatroom
chat
2
British
/ tʃæt /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
chatsimple
-
chatssimple
-
have chattedperfect
-
has chattedperfect
-
am chattingprogressive
-
are chattingprogressive
-
is chattingprogressive
-
have been chattingperfect progressive
-
has been chattingperfect progressive
Past
-
chattedsimple
-
had chattedperfect
-
was chattingprogressive
-
were chattingprogressive
-
had been chattingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing 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.
See Examples For:
Members of the group chat sent messages in Arabic to each other to set up cash payments using the ancient hawala transfer system.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Shielding children from harm on social media is complex, as teens use the platforms to chat with family and friends as well as for entertainment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
The agent is accessed through a desktop application or a mobile app, and employees can chat with it through the Cisco-owned Webex videoconferencing software.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
I was scheduled to interview Mexican American singer Lila Downs the following day, and I decided to bring this up at the end of our chat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
We hail a taxi from the station and chat about nothing on the way.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
The meeting is spread over two days, with Musk joining by video call on Tuesday, and Huang and Altman expected in person on Wednesday for fireside chats with Lutnick.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
Which is an argument for toning down the trash talk in online group chats where you can’t read expressions or read the room.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
It advertised heavily, offered online chats with doctors, some free in-person doctor visits and clear pricing for procedures.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
During extended chats with the UK media, one journalist asked, pointedly and with persistence, about realistic targets for the season ahead and questioned the club's willingness to spend enough to achieve them.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
All the while, he heard their excited chats about their potential new home.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Newsom, who chatted with lawmakers at the Capitol on Monday in what will be his last regular legislative session as governor, praised Lowenthal and the bill.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Burnham has also chatted while on a jog with popular athlete Farah, who has millions of followers across social media platforms.
From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026
We sat and chatted about marriage, my possibly newfound feelings around it, her separation from her own husband, and dear God, how insufferable the L.A. heat wave was becoming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
"We chatted about all sorts of things, what she was going to do in the UK, how long I'd been doing the show, was I nervous, how she deals with nerves, all of this."
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Across the table, Two Step and Mapper chatted excitedly about their day while Sabeen ate quietly, her eyes glued to a book.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
At the Freedom 250 Grand Prix in Washington on Aug. 23, Harp sat a few rows behind Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, chatting with the president’s son Eric.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The panelists positioned chatting with AI as a more productive alternative to doomscrolling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
A few minutes' drive from the petrol station where I'd been chatting with Svyatoslav, I spot another long queue.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Nevertheless, the family spends way too much time leisurely chatting outside in the danger zone.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
As I sat in bed, trying to make my letters look decent, I heard John Worth go into the lean-to chatting up a storm.
From "Worth" by A. LaFaye
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.
