as in to chat
to engage in casual or rambling conversation
spent the time she should have been working gabbing with friends instead
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in chat
friendly, informal conversation or an instance of this
a car salesman with the proverbial gift for gab
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 gab
Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 8 Jan. 2026
Sisters flit in and out of the house while others gab about the new semester, sipping on iced coffees that are quickly gathering condensation.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
Without meddling, the BTV cast would probably just split into PPG and non-PPG — or by gender — and gab for even longer on how asparagus makes your pee smell weird.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Chatting with the Oscar winner about her go-to wide-leg jeans (the trend-setter has been going barrel since before the denim style gained mass appeal) was like stepping into that scene in every Nancy Meyers movie where the gals gab about divorce over a buttery chard.
—Brie Schwartz, Glamour, 27 May 2025
Trump’s tendency to gab meant that minimizing his time on the witness stand was a no-brainer.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2023
Ahead of the audiobook’s May 7 release, and a promotional tour that Wilson admitted is poised to put their love of chat to the ultimate test, the authors spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about all things gab.
—Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
These conversations teach a person how to gab and, perhaps more importantly, how to respond to spicy information.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2025
Having a gift for gab definitely helps pass the time between bites, Hinrichs says.
—Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 16 Aug. 2025
The latest gab session was instead devoted to taking questions from the fans — which led to a surprising story about a rock & roll legend.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 18 May 2025
The first without the second risks turning the board into a gab session of conceptual ideas that never gain traction.
—Doug Sundheim, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
And as the resident gossip expert, no one is more equipped to handle the trickiest aspects of gab, even when gossip just might be the villain of the story.
—Kelsey McKinney, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2025
As Eden gabs, the pair inch across and climb over rows in search of maximum comfort and no moisture.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
Writers tend to have a gift for writing but not for gab.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024
Verb
Mark Zuckerberg, Marc Andreessen, and Sam Altman stop by to gab.
—Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 8 Jan. 2026
Sisters flit in and out of the house while others gab about the new semester, sipping on iced coffees that are quickly gathering condensation.
—Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2025
Without meddling, the BTV cast would probably just split into PPG and non-PPG — or by gender — and gab for even longer on how asparagus makes your pee smell weird.
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
Chatting with the Oscar winner about her go-to wide-leg jeans (the trend-setter has been going barrel since before the denim style gained mass appeal) was like stepping into that scene in every Nancy Meyers movie where the gals gab about divorce over a buttery chard.
—Brie Schwartz, Glamour, 27 May 2025
Trump’s tendency to gab meant that minimizing his time on the witness stand was a no-brainer.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2023
Ahead of the audiobook’s May 7 release, and a promotional tour that Wilson admitted is poised to put their love of chat to the ultimate test, the authors spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about all things gab.
—Seija Rankin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
These conversations teach a person how to gab and, perhaps more importantly, how to respond to spicy information.
—Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 7 Dec. 2018
Noun
The incident came up during a conversation with guest Jason Bateman, who had complimented Fallon on his gift of the gab after the host appeared on an episode of his Smartless podcast.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2025
Having a gift for gab definitely helps pass the time between bites, Hinrichs says.
—Brad Dokken, Twin Cities, 16 Aug. 2025
The latest gab session was instead devoted to taking questions from the fans — which led to a surprising story about a rock & roll legend.
—Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 18 May 2025
The first without the second risks turning the board into a gab session of conceptual ideas that never gain traction.
—Doug Sundheim, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
And as the resident gossip expert, no one is more equipped to handle the trickiest aspects of gab, even when gossip just might be the villain of the story.
—Kelsey McKinney, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2025
As Eden gabs, the pair inch across and climb over rows in search of maximum comfort and no moisture.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024
Writers tend to have a gift for writing but not for gab.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gab
Verb
-
Laughter rippled through the 2,000-square-foot space as diners chatted over complimentary rice cookies and steaming cups of Persian chai infused with rose petals.—
Angela Osorio,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
From doing research ahead of time to respecting the wildlife, Travel + Leisure chatted with national park representatives to get tips on how to make the most of a national park trip—and what rangers wish visitors did differently.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Oil surges as Iran picks Khamenei’s son as supreme leader, but comes off a tad after the Financial Times reported about talks on a possible coordinated release of reserves.—
Nasteho Said,
Bloomberg,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Impala Platinum has opened formal talks with Zimbabwe’s central bank and lined up meetings with both the South African and Zimbabwean governments to press for clarity on Harare’s export-earnings policy, its CEO told Semafor, escalating a commercial cash-flow dispute into bilateral negotiations.—
Tiisetso Motsoeneng,
semafor.com,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An Anthropic spokesperson told NBC News that users of its AI systems must be over 18 years old because young people are at higher risk of experiencing negative outcomes when conversing with chatbots.—
Kevin Collier,
NBC news,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The simplest solution to those telephone calls is to explain your and your other friends’ habit of conversing only by text, and to say that such has become your policy.—
Judith Martin,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones Deal Powered by two processors and eight microphones, the Sony WH-1000XM5 give you industry-leading noise cancellation that effectively eliminates the sound of traffic, office chatter, or airplane engines.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
9 Mar. 2026
-
The sound rose with laughter, casual chatter and the low hum of a crowd finally allowed to eat.—
Monti Carlo,
AJC.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gab. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
