How to Use chat up in a Sentence

chat up

verb
  • Last night, she was once again spotted chatting up Tom Brady.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Feb. 2026
  • The handsome Kennedy heir was seen chatting up several girls.
    — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
  • His paella has become a beloved tradition—an excuse to gather with friends, chat up strangers, maybe sip a glass of wine.
    — Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
  • Mayors get stopped with questions in grocery stores, and county commissioners chat up residents at high school football games.
    — Cate Charron, IndyStar, 15 Jan. 2026
  • The comedian was pictured chatting up some players back in 2013.
    — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Now, as a former president, he’s been spotted riding the rails since, taking selfies with and chatting up his fellow passengers.
    — Meg Kinnard, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2026
  • Meyers also casually chatted up Jags coach Liam Coen at game’s end.
    — Michael Silver, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Between numbers, McCartney often chatted up the fans.
    — Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 18 Oct. 2025
  • Not the fun stuff — waving down at your antlike neighbors, chatting up green alien dudes — but the dicey stuff like zero gravity and sound and communication distortions?
    — Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 25 June 2026
  • Not the fun stuff – waving down at your antlike neighbors, chatting up green alien dudes – but the dicey stuff like zero gravity and sound and communication distortions?
    — John Metcalfe, Mercury News, 24 June 2026
  • Navarro and Hostin continued to argue with each other, with Griffin repeatedly trying to break the chat up to interject her own view.
    — Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Jan. 2026
  • So Joe was chatting up contacts, looking for information, and also acting as a lookout for the FBI.
    — Stayton Bonner, Robb Report, 24 Aug. 2025
  • His earliest episodes portrayed a club-going early 20-something who, seemingly whenever Montag’s back was turned, was chatting up other women.
    — Rachel Brodsky, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
  • To find someone to mix margaritas at your house party, contact the Columbia Bartending Agency or chat up your favorite local bartender or server.
    — The Editors, Curbed, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Smullen, who represents parts of the district in the state Assembly, is running a traditional campaign, chatting up voters at volunteer firehouses and community events.
    — Michael Hill, Fortune, 12 June 2026
  • Horschel consistently chatted up and down the fairways with playing partner Ryan Fox, an affable, unflappable 39-year-old New Zealander.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
  • Guzzling a beer outside a store and yelling at a soccer game on TV, he gets chatted up by Blanchett’s character, offering his insights about Eric Cantona before inviting her out for a pint nearby.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2025
  • In what turns out to be the biggest moment in Neil’s young serving career, the handyman and Berzatto family friend keeps his composure and colorfully chats up the diner everyone believed was the Michelin-star inspector.
    — Jake Kring-Schreifels, Time, 26 June 2026
  • Be Cool with Friendship If Nothing Romantic Happens Lower the pressure of chatting up your gym crush by focusing on developing just a friendship—at least at first.
    — Outside, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Lutes stopped in to the Zach Sang podcast recently to chat up his new Dilworth album and describe the mind-blowing special treat the couple experienced during their May 25 wedding in California.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 18 Dec. 2025
  • In addition, my pal Ralphie Aversa attended the NYC premiere of the show, chatting up Hauser about being recognized in public and Bening about filming on location in Texas.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 15 May 2026
  • About an hour before American currency became the dominant discussion, the two friends and collaborators chatted up their connection over hearty carnivorous dishes at the legendary Harry’s Hofbrau, around the corner from the Redwood City studio.
    — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Previously Crowe had served as the face of the New Orleans Saints’ cheerleading squad—one of a few members of the Cheer Krewe who were permitted to give interviews, speak in commercials, and chat up VIPs in the Superdome’s private suites.
    — Nathaniel Rich, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
  • The Batman Returns and Age of Innocence actress was a guest on the SmartLess podcast, and chatted up cohosts Will Arnett, Jason Bateman, and Sean Hayes about her lengthy career which, naturally, included one of her earliest big roles, the part of Elvira in Scarface.
    — Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chat up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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