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• small talk
  small talk

  noun

  light conversation; chitchat.
• small-talk
  small-talk

  verb (used without object)

  to engage in or have a propensity for small talk.

small talk

¹ American  

noun

1. light conversation; chitchat.

   Synonyms:

   gossip, chatter, banter

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small-talk ² American  

[smawl-tawk] / ˈsmɔlˌtɔk /

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in or have a propensity for small talk.

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small talk British  

noun

1. light conversation for social occasions

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small talk Idioms  

1. Casual or trivial conversation, chitchat, as in We stood around making small talk until the guest of honor arrived. The small in this expression alludes to unimportant subjects of conversation, as opposed to serious or weighty ones. [Mid-1700s]

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Etymology

Origin of small talk¹

First recorded in 1745–55

Origin of small-talk²

First recorded in 1780–90

Example Sentences

She describes an awkward car ride with Melania to Trump’s 2024 inauguration, another tradition, fraught with strained small talk about Barron’s time at New York University and the recent passing of Melania’s mother.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026

The 44-year-old listened to her colleagues’ speeches and those of other hopefuls, made small talk with fellow members and then left.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 9, 2026

The state is the kind of place where small talk about the weather turns into a half-hour conversation about life; a place where citizens greet or wave to strangers while driving or walking past them.

From Salon • Feb. 7, 2026

“We may do small talk like, ‘How’s the weather?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 6, 2026

He smiled, so I tried to make small talk, now that we were able to tuck our aggressive bravado away.

From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline

Related Words

• blather
• chatter
• chitchat
• pleasantry