shoot the breeze

Idioms  

1. Also,. Talk idly, chat, as in They've been sitting on the porch for hours, just shooting the breeze, or The guys sit around the locker room, throwing the bull. The first of these slangy terms, alluding to talking into the wind, was first recorded in 1919. In the variant, first recorded in 1908, bull is a shortening of bullshit, and means “empty talk” or “lies.”

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Example Sentences

Traditionally, this is nothing more than a photo opportunity, but President Trump likes to shoot the breeze with the press pack.

From BBC • Mar. 10, 2025

In one beautifully uncanny scene, the duo stop by a virtual reality gaming studio and, equipped with headsets, plug into the fantasy, playing as flying sorcerers as they shoot the breeze.

From New York Times • May 4, 2023

They’ll all shoot the breeze, ask about family, complain about the water bill or something.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 1, 2022

In Screen Gab No. 14, we look back on the 2004 Super Bowl, prepare for the live-action ‘Cowboy Bebop’ and shoot the breeze with Lin-Manuel Miranda.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2021

A better question: Did he really think I was going to pull up a chair and shoot the breeze about the good old days?

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken