schmooze
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
verb
-
(intr) to chat or gossip
-
(tr) to chat to (someone) for the purposes of self-promotion or to gain some advantage
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of schmooze
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; from Yiddish, verb use of schmues, from Hebrew shəmūʿōth “reports, gossip”
Explanation
When you schmooze at a party, you chat with many different people. Being able to schmooze casually and confidently is a good quality in a hostess or a politician. If you say, "I just want to stop by the reception and schmooze for a little bit," it means you're going to see who's there and make smalltalk with various people. You might want to schmooze for fun, or take the opportunity to hand out your business card. You can call the conversation itself a schmooze too, and the word comes from the Yiddish shmuesn, "to chat" from shmues, "idle talk," with the Hebrew root shemu'oth, "rumors."
Vocabulary lists containing schmooze
English Words Derived from Yiddish
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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:
After 4 p.m., they have ample time to clean up their books, meet with co-workers, schmooze with clients, and grab some sleep.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
“He was very much inclined not to schmooze so much as to explain and then expect people to understand and then act on it.”
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2024
With Congress on recess, both the House and Senate sent sizable delegations to the annual Munich Security Conference to schmooze with world leaders about the pressing global issues of the day.
From Slate ● Feb. 21, 2024
Unlike his brother, Eric Trump did not schmooze with court staff during the breaks.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2023
To close them, he needed to schmooze clients, and that required something he didn’t have.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2023
Wasserman schmoozed with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver at a reception at the Gagosian art gallery in Beverly Hills, according to attendees.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 21, 2026
Upper middle-class scions who went to the right schools, schmoozed at the right parties, and waited their respective turns for their time in the spotlight.
From Salon ● Dec. 9, 2025
She schmoozed with customers, pointed out photos of her in her teenage surfing days and generally tried to imbue the place with the spirit of “aloha.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 13, 2025
And it schmoozed the tech industry, sponsoring ski trips, conferences, industry newsletters and fancy dinners.
From New York Times ● Mar. 17, 2023
At Tuesday's lunch, nominees including Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Michelle Yeoh and Angela Bassett schmoozed and posed for a group photo.
From Reuters ● Feb. 14, 2023
Top brokers walk the floors of countless buildings, swap insights over bad coffee, and turn years of schmoozing into multimillion-dollar commissions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
There has been no shortage of schmoozing and warm words.
From BBC ● Jan. 30, 2026
The kind of person he was before the bestselling memoir, the Netflix adaptation, the Silicon Valley schmoozing, and the political ascendency.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2024
Perhaps we in the press were still hungover after celebrating ourselves by schmoozing with celebrities and slurping up to politicians at the White House Correspondents Dinner the night before.
From Salon ● May 2, 2024
Either Muhammad is easily swayed by art mumbo jumbo or he wants to get back to schmoozing, because he begins backing up.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
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.
