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Verb

Schmooze (also spelled shmooze) is one of a small, but significant, number of words borrowed from Yiddish that have become relatively common parts of the English language. Other such words include chutzpah, lox, maven, mensch, nebbish, schlep, and schlock. Though classified as a High German language, Yiddish also borrows from the Slavic and Latinate languages as well as from Aramaic and Hebrew. It was the Hebrew shěmu’ōth ("news, rumor") that provided Yiddish with the noun shmues ("talk") and the verb shmuesn ("to talk or chat"). Although originally used in English to indicate simply talking in an informal and warm manner, schmooze has since also taken on the suggestion of 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: Verb Was everyone there to schmooze, to revolutionize the global financial system or just to get rich? — New York Times, 5 June 2021 The front lawn, meanwhile, will metamorphose into one of the world’s most glamorous outdoor lounges for artists to schmooze (at a distance) and pose for the cameras. — Anna Fixsen, ELLE Decor, 20 Apr. 2021 Blinken was, for instance, unable to make an in-person appearance at the annual Munich Security Conference, a forum staged virtually last week for American and European elites to speak, schmooze, strategize and affirm trans-Atlantic bonds. — Michael Crowley, BostonGlobe.com, 23 Feb. 2021 Fans of Davos point to the serendipity gained when so many political and business leaders cram into a small town with little to do but schmooze. — Eric Sylvers, WSJ, 25 Jan. 2021 Biden continued to schmooze with foreign leaders and soak up global politics for the next 37 years. — Deirdre Shesgreen, USA TODAY, 20 Nov. 2020 Volunteers of different colors and ages assemble in a community kitchen to make a weekly dinner for their neighbors and schmooze with each other. — Jim Higgins, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Nov. 2020 Rather than waiting for restaurants and hotels to recover, Mansa Tea found a market in companies looking for ways to hold virtual team building events and virtual ways to schmooze clients. — Tamara E. Holmes, USA TODAY, 6 Nov. 2020 Nobody could schmooze, outwit, or buy their way around the virus. — Ruth S. Barrett, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Guests are invited to come schmooze with the clergy and staff, explore the sacred spaces, learn about Judaic art installations or the Beth El Mausoleum. — Sergio Carmona, sun-sentinel.com, 23 July 2021 And the elimination of middlemen encourages artists to elevate one another rather than schmooze insiders at cocktail parties. — Washington Post, 8 May 2021 During that weekend, job candidates would lead a service, deliver a sermon, meet with the preschoolers, teach a class, maybe have lunch with staff and schmooze with congregants during kiddush on Shabbat. — Stewart Ain, sun-sentinel.com, 29 Dec. 2020 The bulk of that is from commercial payments facilitated by the WeChat super-app, where a billion Chinese schmooze, shop, and share cabs. — Zheping Huang, Bloomberg.com, 12 Nov. 2020 The 2020 Annual Meeting & Celebration kicks off at 6:45 p.m. with a pre-program community schmooze. — courant.com, 4 Sep. 2020 That schmooze-fest happens across the college landscape. — oregonlive, 27 May 2020 An excuse to close one's laptop, slip into black-tie with fellow literacy artists and schmooze prospective Inprint donors. — Amber Elliott, Houston Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2020 Singer cajoles stressed out, wealthy parents; schmoozes with them about his financial investments; and tries to impress them and the coaches who participated in his scheme with his insider knowledge. — BostonGlobe.com, 21 Dec. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'schmooze.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.