as in chat
friendly, informal conversation or an instance of this
at the corporate get-together we made the obligatory small talk with some people from the home office
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of small talk
There is no room for small talk or anything surface-level during this celestial exchange.
—
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Research suggests that having small talks with coworkers, while somewhat distracting, can improve your well-being at work.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 14 Apr. 2026
In between tidbits of small talk, Mosley, Luis Perez, Karola Vargas and Arianna Blanco, sitting around picnic tables, divulged details about what happened behind closed doors in the jury room.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
As investigators searched the area with the bamboo again, Horner smoked cigarettes and seemed relaxed, making small talk about his favorite foods, work schedules and the weather.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small talk
Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 17 Apr. 2026
Research suggests that having small talks with coworkers, while somewhat distracting, can improve your well-being at work.
—Stephanie Brown, Verywell Health, 14 Apr. 2026
In between tidbits of small talk, Mosley, Luis Perez, Karola Vargas and Arianna Blanco, sitting around picnic tables, divulged details about what happened behind closed doors in the jury room.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
As investigators searched the area with the bamboo again, Horner smoked cigarettes and seemed relaxed, making small talk about his favorite foods, work schedules and the weather.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for small talk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small talk
Noun
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For our chat, Vargas connected from his mother’s place.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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Few details about the chats have been made public so far.—
Lauren Fichten,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Starmer’s Labour colleague David Lammy, who arranged the talks, thought that Obama could offer useful advice to Starmer, the son of a working-class toolmaker.—
Peter Slevin,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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Alternativa is addressing the issue by creating a distribution arm that has already been in talks with platforms, TV channels, in-flight systems and other ancillary distribution modes.—
Anna Marie de la Fuente,
Variety,
3 May 2026
Noun
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Much of the chatter seems to be more about the desperation to complete a first double over Liverpool in a decade.—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
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Despite a L’Oréal sponsorship this time around, there isn’t much makeup chatter in The Devil Wears Prada 2, either—though Hathaway’s near-identical face at 43 is an aesthetic triumph.—
Faran Krentcil,
Allure,
4 May 2026
Noun
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When the table talk turns political, Hagains suggests shifting your approach instead of your mood.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Nov. 2025
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Each monthly box includes three recipe guides, skill lessons, a kitchen tool, a kitchen project, an apron patch, table talk cards, and a grocery list.—
Jessica Booth,
Parents,
16 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Small talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20talk. Accessed 7 May. 2026.
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