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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

He worked the scene, engaging in small talk with members, said some of those who engaged with him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 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

The guy’s small talk was pretty standard, he recalls, but when the women declined to accompany him to another bar, “The switch-up was insane.”

From Salon ● Jun. 24, 2026

We exchanged small talk, but neither of us were really good at it.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

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 lawmaker recalled having to reintroduce themself to the senator multiple times, helping her locate her purse repeatedly and answering the same set of basic, small-talk questions over and over again.

From New York Times ● May 2, 2022

They responded with small-talk classics like “Where are you from?”

From Washington Post ● Oct. 13, 2021

You exchange some small-talk, maybe take a selfie, and we’re out.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2020

Another one of those small-talk tips I picked up from Momly.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• blather
• chatter
• chitchat
• pleasantry