variants
or shmooze
schmoozed or shmoozed; schmoozing or shmoozing
: to converse informally : chat
also
: to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections
: to engage in schmoozing with
she schmoozed her professors
1
: a gathering or time devoted to schmoozing
2
: casual talk that is often gossipy or ingratiating
Did you know?
Schmooze (also spelled shmooze) comes from Yiddish schmues, meaning "talk," which itself is from Hebrew shěmu’ōth, "news" or "rumor." Although originally used to indicate simply talking in an informal and warm manner, the word now commonly suggests discussion for the purposes of gaining something.
Examples of schmooze in a Sentence
Verb
People will have time to schmooze during the cocktail hour.
spent every spare minute of the conference schmoozing with the industry's power players
Noun
had to master the art of the schmooze if she wanted to get ahead in the business
Recent Examples on the Web
Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
Actors like Eric Bogosian and Jason Schwartzman waltz in and schmooze it up as vampires living their best afterlives, completely overshadowing Denton, who’s stuck in noob-human mode and doesn’t progress much past that.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2025
Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Yes, everyone’s favorite stoned bathroom linen Towelie returned to South Park for this week’s all-new episode, helping Randy rebrand his marijuana business (with the help of AI and ketamine) by heading to Washington D.C. to schmooze with President Donald Trump.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for schmooze
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Meanwhile, lots of media members are on the field, and most are schmoozing with each other.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
Actors like Eric Bogosian and Jason Schwartzman waltz in and schmooze it up as vampires living their best afterlives, completely overshadowing Denton, who’s stuck in noob-human mode and doesn’t progress much past that.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2025
Noun
Michelle Williams, currently in contention for two Emmys (as lead actress and producer) for the Hulu limited series Dying for Sex, recently popped in for a schmooze with Entertainment Weekly's The Awardist podcast.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Yes, everyone’s favorite stoned bathroom linen Towelie returned to South Park for this week’s all-new episode, helping Randy rebrand his marijuana business (with the help of AI and ketamine) by heading to Washington D.C. to schmooze with President Donald Trump.
—Dave Nemetz, TVLine, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for schmooze
Cite this Entry
“Schmooze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schmooze. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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