schmooze

American  

[shmooz] / ʃmuz /

Also shmooze sometimes schmoose

verb (used without object)

schmoozed, schmoozing

1. to chat idly; gossip.

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noun

1. idle conversation; chatter.

schmooze British  

/ ʃmuːz /

verb

1. (intr) to chat or gossip

2. (tr) to chat to (someone) for the purposes of self-promotion or to gain some advantage

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noun

1. a trivial conversation; chat

Other Word Forms

• schmoozer noun

Etymology

Origin of schmooze

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; from Yiddish, verb use of schmues, from Hebrew shəmūʿōth “reports, gossip”

Example Sentences

He attended a November event with potential Saudi investors and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick—schmoozing with attendees in the company’s namesake Kennedy center lounge—and invited some guests to visit SyberJet’s facilities in Arizona.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Picture making, shopping, schmoozing—everything movie people love.”

From Literature

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

"I've lived on the East Coast and for many, many years with Michael, I've never been in LA schmoozing," she told People magazine.

From BBC

Nominees across all 24 categories mingled and schmoozed before taking part in the traditional class photo.

From Los Angeles Times