How to Use small talk in a Sentence

small talk

noun
  • They made small talk while waiting for the meeting to start.
  • My dad tried to make some small talk around it.
    — Joannie Rochette, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
  • Most people lead with ego or small talk.
    — Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • The best places to practice small talk?
    — Jeanne Ballion, Vogue, 27 Dec. 2025
  • Make small talk with the neighbor.
    — Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
  • Skip the small talk, start the party.
    — PC Magazine, 2 Sep. 2025
  • As far as wellness trends go, small talk isn’t sexy.
    — Keith Wagstaff, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2026
  • One of them makes small talk, asking about the name of his dog.
    — Scott Bronstein, CNN, 9 July 2020
  • Williams had made some small talk and then threatened her with a gun.
    — Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 Oct. 2020
  • Learn how to smile, make small talk, and put yourself out there.
    — Sho Dewan, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
  • Who has time for small talk when the clock is about to strike midnight?
    — Karla Pope, Good Housekeeping, 27 Nov. 2022
  • In the mind of someone with this sign, there is no point in small talk.
    — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, 25 Oct. 2019
  • Aunt Lydia has not raised these girls for small talk.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Apr. 2026
  • The guy in the back seat with me was just, like, trying to strike up small talk.
    — Susan-Elizabeth Littlefield, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
  • These are the top shades for avoiding sun damage and small talk.
    — Simon Hill, Wired News, 5 May 2025
  • Now there was no small talk with neighbors in the grocery store.
    — New York Times, 21 Feb. 2022
  • The small talk before a meeting.
    — Lorraine K. Lee, CNBC, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The thing is, most small talk feels like a polite but boring game of ping-pong.
    — Maya Rossignac-Milon erica Boothby, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Matt makes the kind of small talk that signals his fear of being alone with his thoughts.
    — Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 12 Aug. 2024
  • Now, there are lots of chances to bump into people, catch up, and make small talk.
    — Robin Abrahams, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Nov. 2022
  • But for the day, be gracious, strike up some small talk, and act happy to see them.
    — Kelly Williams Brown, Cosmopolitan, 10 Nov. 2013
  • Bob Broder was allergic to small talk.
    — Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 9 Nov. 2025
  • The fake accounts were not chasing Claude's small talk.
    — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • The tech company wants to turn your small talk into big sales.
    — Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Others are drawn to the idea of avoiding small talk and the pressure to tip.
    — Corina Knoll, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
  • So are the morning commutes and small talk and lunch dates and handshakes.
    — S. Mitra Kalita, Fortune, 26 May 2021
  • Sometimes the agents make small talk while waiting for hearings to let out.
    — Mark Peterson, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
  • The quiet in the air held too much meaning for two strangers making small talk.
    — Literary Hub, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Against that tense backdrop, the two strangers attempted to make small talk.
    — Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 20 Jan. 2026
  • Conversations with him are free of small talk.
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 28 Sep. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'small talk.' 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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