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Synonyms

chitchat

American  
[chit-chat] / ˈtʃɪtˌtʃæt /

noun

  1. light conversation; casual talk; gossip.

verb (used without object)

chitchatted, chitchatting

  1. to indulge in chitchat; gossip.

chitchat British  
/ ˈtʃɪtˌtʃæt /

noun

  1. talk of a gossipy nature

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (intr) to gossip

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • chitchatty adjective

Etymology

Origin of chitchat

First recorded in 1700–10; gradational compound based on 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.

“She can continue to chitchat with Kermit. And that was really charming for her and certainly charming for us. And how can you not have fun on a set like that?”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026

The school system’s chief financial officer, for example, doesn’t want to chitchat and won’t share data until he knows what you’ll do with it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 1, 2025

And since coverage in parks is rare—a tree sometimes—all the skaters usually huddle in the same shady place, making chitchat inevitable.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 21, 2025

I knocked and walked into the room, starting with the usual idle chitchat.

From Slate • Aug. 19, 2025

She even started asking me what I liked for sandwiches and drinks, and at noon, she’d sit down with me to chitchat for a few minutes while I ate.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

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.