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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

See Examples For:

small talk small-talk

Together for the better part of four decades, L7 did not faff around with small talk and pleasantries: They took the stage and rocked your face off.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 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

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

As we painstakingly descended the stairs, they kept up a steady stream of small talk.

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia

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

It was the perfect analogy to our tech-driven, capitalist, corporate society where meetings, office small-talk and bureaucracy often feel like they can drain us of our life force.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2024

After noticing that his colleagues are small-talk superstars, Gregory realizes that he needs to work on his people skills.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 12, 2023

This is why Momly's the small-talk queen, and Uncle Tony's the cartoon character.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• blather
• chatter
• chitchat
• pleasantry