variants
or shmooze
schmoozed or shmoozed; schmoozing or shmoozing
: to converse informally : chat
also
: to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections
: to engage in schmoozing with
she schmoozed her professors
1
: a gathering or time devoted to schmoozing
2
: casual talk that is often gossipy or ingratiating
Did you know?
Schmooze (also spelled shmooze) comes from Yiddish schmues, meaning "talk," which itself is from Hebrew shěmu’ōth, "news" or "rumor." Although originally used to indicate simply talking in an informal and warm manner, the word now commonly suggests 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
Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
During cocktails, nominees walked the red carpet and schmoozed with their colleagues.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2025
Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2025
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors
Awards season is always a glamorous time of year, when Hollywood's biggest stars turn out in their finest outfits to schmooze and vie for the industry's biggest prizes.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for schmooze
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Nor has he been seen schmoozing at public gatherings.
—Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
During cocktails, nominees walked the red carpet and schmoozed with their colleagues.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2025
Noun
Enjoy social outings, the theater, sports, fun activities with kids, saucy flirtations, happy hour, coffee with friends – schmooze!
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 2 Apr. 2025
Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors
Awards season is always a glamorous time of year, when Hollywood's biggest stars turn out in their finest outfits to schmooze and vie for the industry's biggest prizes.
—Dan Perry, Newsweek, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for schmooze
Cite this Entry
“Schmooze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schmooze. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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