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.
-
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
-
chats
plural
-
an informal conversation.
We had a pleasant chat.
-
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 )
-
any of various Australian wrens (family Muscicapidae ) of the genus Ephthianura and other genera
verb
-
to talk in an easy familiar way
-
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:
The models’ visible chat transcripts remained neutral, but they often stored the negative signals in their working memory and were more likely to avoid that zone in future choices.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 24, 2026
I spoke to one company that grades candidates on text-based chat interviews.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
While Price and his colleagues go to take advantage of the open bar, I chat with New York State Young Democrats chief of staff Avi Presberg, 28, upon the restaurant’s lion-headed thrones.
From Slate ● Oct. 20, 2026
The group chat, which was the main point of communication for the group, went from 70 members to 30.
From Salon ● Oct. 19, 2026
And the way his voice gets on chat when he’s talking to you?
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
From online influencers to Reddit threads and group chats, it’s not the first time discussions have sparked around whose responsibility it is to teach young boys about consent, boundaries and rape culture.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
The picture of the boys was a viral TikTok prompt that encouraged users to show images of their group chats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Mediapart's investigation is built on comments in private chats allegedly written by Bardella in the summer of 2013 when he was 17 or 18 years old.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
What scared Mileva was how unaware she had been of her daughter’s chats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026
It felt like I was always missing Auggie’s FaceChat requests, so finally we decided to schedule our chats for right before dinner on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio
As he chatted with Castelly, he pulled up his right trouser leg and revealed a large ankle monitor.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
Alphonso Tubbs, 56, chatted with Quinonez while looking at the work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 11, 2026
He sat in disbelief as the passenger answered it and chatted away for a couple of minutes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
There, he says, he chatted with strangers who told him they were taking the same precaution following a recent home invasion in Comanche.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Leafie chatted away the miles, so there wasn’t much need for me to talk.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Trevarthen explained that her father and the astronaut got chatting and her father mentioned she was a teacher.
From BBC ● Oct. 21, 2026
“Bobby Robotowitz” follows Dina, a flailing novelist, mother and wife, as she begins chatting with Bobby, whom she finds an unlikely confidant.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Players were milling around midfield, exchanging jerseys and making small talk when Chubb appeared to say something to Jackson, who was chatting with another Bills player.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026
Others try to ignore him, browsing their phones, making calls or chatting among themselves.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
I can picture it: the gym packed with chairs, people chatting, shuffling, clapping.
From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari
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