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Synonyms
Examples of small talk in a Sentence
They made small talk while waiting for the meeting to start.
at the corporate get-together we made the obligatory small talk with some people from the home office
Recent Examples on the Web
The study also found that small talk improves the emotional aspects of staffers’ working lives.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 May 2024
Vocal frustration with more expensive gas and food, rent-raising landlords and premium-raising insurance companies still animates small talk among friends.
—Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Invite the couple as always; be civil, of course; and take part fully in the group’s standard small talk and chatter and conversation.
—Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
This gives callers natural conversations, the ability to correct themselves, low latency and more—all with no wait times, annoying phone trees or small talk.
—Gadi Shamia, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
But unlike those other services, there will be nobody to make small talk with while riding in a Waymo One vehicle because the vehicles are controlled by computer software.
—Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024
Serra, like Johns, was an intense presence who had no patience for small talk.
—Deborah Solomon, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2024
Like a beacon in his chef’s whites, Ruiz led us through the market’s endless alleys, stopping every now and then to make small talk with a stallholder or to take a selfie with a fan.
—Flora Stubbs, Travel + Leisure, 5 Feb. 2024
Readers can expect chapters to highlight small talk's significant role in life and even offer snippets of real small talk trainees.
—Chris Barilla, Peoplemag, 21 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'small talk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1650, in the meaning defined above
Articles Related to small talk
Dictionary Entries Near small talk
Cite this Entry
“Small talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/small%20talk. Accessed 19 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
small talk
noun
: light or informal conversation
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