as in chat
friendly, informal conversation or an instance of this
a bit of chitchat over lunch with people we hadn't seen in a while
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of chitchat
Meanwhile, Green made do with a slightly depressing cafeteria lunch—a cheese-and-pickle sandwich and a shiny red apple—and some chitchat about the weather.
—
Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when people knew their neighbors’ names, made polite chitchat with strangers, and believed in fostering community — so say your older relatives unprompted at every conceivable opportunity.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
Hawkins makes this seem like a monumental spew of words rather than benign chitchat.
—Matthew Schnipper, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025
The intrigue: The trend over the last few months has been a slow but steady return to the land of cubicles, watercooler chitchat and harsh fluorescent lighting.
—Joe Guillen, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chitchat
Nicola Twilley, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
There was a time in the not-so-distant past when people knew their neighbors’ names, made polite chitchat with strangers, and believed in fostering community — so say your older relatives unprompted at every conceivable opportunity.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 7 Jan. 2025
Hawkins makes this seem like a monumental spew of words rather than benign chitchat.
—Matthew Schnipper, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025
The intrigue: The trend over the last few months has been a slow but steady return to the land of cubicles, watercooler chitchat and harsh fluorescent lighting.
—Joe Guillen, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for chitchat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chitchat
Noun
-
Erin Andrews is a couple minutes late to our Zoom chat.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Her husband and their helpers are in various group chats together, which Nina says are a godsend in making sure everyone’s communicating and on the same page.—
Wendy Wisner,
Parents,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Two types of story dominated the chatter in the newsroom this week.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
7 Sep. 2025
-
Read the Room While everyone’s all for friendly chatter before the game or between plays, once the ball’s in the air, many folks will want to focus all attention on what’s happening on screen.—
Betsy Cribb Watson,
Southern Living,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The railroad’s willingness to pay the bill, including slimming down its own office payroll to free up more funds, appears to have limited the reputational damage enough for serious merger talks to proceed on down the tracks.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
5 Sep. 2025
-
However, the reality is that peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US and Europe are clearly stalled, if at worse dead with many contentions from both sides surrounding security concerns and, importantly, trade sanctions.—
Earl Carr,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Video
A Look at Uncommon Onomatopoeia
Some imitative words are more surprising than others
Cite this Entry
“Chitchat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chitchat. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share