small talk
noun
light conversation; chitchat.
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small talk
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small-talk
small-talkverb (used without object)to engage in or have a propensity for small talk.
small talk
1 Americannoun
small-talk
2
American
[smawl-tawk]
/ ˈsmɔlˌtɔk /
verb (used without object)
small talk
British
noun
small talk
Idioms
Etymology
Origin of small talk1
First recorded in 1745–55
Origin of small-talk2
First recorded in 1780–90
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:
Baristas—which the company calls “broistas”— are encouraged to create a fun experience by making small talk and playing music.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
He used small talk as an example, which can lead to a deeper understanding, deeper trust, and connection for people.
From Salon ● Sep. 30, 2026
Failing that, small talk in big cities is rare.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
The rapprochement usually starts out small, maybe with a text message here or there or small talk at a family event.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026
He saw me and crossed the room, and we made small talk for several minutes, neither of us acknowledging that we hadn’t seen each other in half a decade, neither of us alluding to why.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
The coin of the realm on such shows is small-talk riffing and discursive, big-ideas bullshitting, and he excelled at neither.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2025
You might save yourself from a life filled with small-talk with hired guns who were trained to speak to you in short sentences.
From Salon ● Feb. 24, 2025
The show reproduces, with loving accuracy, our small-talk, our polite jokes — the way groups use humor to defuse social tensions.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2023
They responded with small-talk classics like “Where are you from?”
From Washington Post ● Oct. 13, 2021
This is why Momly's the small-talk queen, and Uncle Tony's the cartoon character.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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.
