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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

The two sides initially announced the relationship in November, with plans for Perplexity to appear in Snapchat’s popular Chat interface starting in early 2026.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Researchers worked with Le Chat, a generative AI tool developed by the French start‑up Mistral, training it on Moliere's body of work, as well as dialogues and philosophical treatises.

From Barron's • May 4, 2026

Chat shows are difficult to get right, so there was a lot of build-up as fans waited to see how Winkleman's primetime take on the format would be received.

From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026

Theo Browne, founder and CEO of the AI startup T3 Chat, told MarketWatch that 16 million exchanges is “really not much,” noting that his business hits that volume of usage most months.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 28, 2026

There wasn’t much to read about in the paper—in the Chat Line section a pet ferret had gotten stuck in the tailpipe of a car.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos

Related Words

• chatter
• conversation
• gossip