confabulation

1 an exchange of views for the purpose of exploring a subject or deciding an issue there seemed to be some sort of lengthy confabulation going on in the next room Synonyms argument, argumentation, argy-bargy [chiefly British], back-and-forth, colloquy, confab, discussion, conference, consult, consultation, council, counsel, debate, deliberation, dialogue (also dialog), give-and-take, palaver, parley, talkRelated Words bull session, chat room, forum, meeting, powwow, roundtable, seminar, skull session (also skull practice), symposium, talkathon; chat, conversation, rap, words; discourse, disquisition; bargaining, consultancy, negotiation, pourparler

2 friendly, informal conversation or an instance of this began our confabulation with that traditional icebreaker: an innocuous discussion of the weather Synonyms backchat, cackle, causerie, chatter, chin music, chin-wag [slang], chitchat, confab, chat, gab, gabfest, gossip, jangle, jaw, natter [chiefly British], palaver, patter, rap, schmooze, small talk, table talk, talk, tête-à-têteRelated Words colloquy, conference, discourse, parley, powwow, symposium; debate, dialogue (also dialog), exchange, give-and-take; crosstalk, happy talk; yak (also yack), yammer, yap