small talk

noun

Definition of small talknext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of small talk The perfect way to decompress in between all the fashion show small talk! — Irene Kim, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2026 Afterward, the experience gives you both something immediate to talk about rather than leaning entirely on small talk. — Ashley Lynch, Charlotte Observer, 8 Sep. 2026 The activity does the heavy lifting that small talk used to carry. — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 3 Sep. 2026 What began as awkward small talk with strangers quickly becomes conversations with like-minded people. — Sarah Kingdom, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for small talk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small talk
  1. chat
  2. talk
  3. chatter
  4. table talk
Noun
  • After Jahan Dotson’s chance at a first impression came and went with only one catch for 19 yards in a season-opening loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Falcons’ receiver shared a brief chat with president of football Matt Ryan.
    — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Bassetti was on fiery form during his fireside chat, calling out streamers for not sharing back end and calling on European producers to demand better terms of trade to avoid remaining simply guns for hire.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of chat
Noun
  • The four countries agreed Monday to continue talks on expanding cooperation among them, particularly about regional peace and security, a statement said.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Those talks collapsed over price and worries about antitrust pushback, neither of which hold true today.
    — Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of talk
Noun
  • After maybe 10,000 individual motes of noise that chatter like mouse clicks, the song ends with a slow, jangly fadeout.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Schulman added that SpaceX’s mobile carrier strategy is already apparent, citing industry chatter.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of chatter
Noun
  • There’s table talk about whether Trump’s low approval ratings can hurt his party as much as Obama hurt his party’s in 2010.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
  • When the table talk turns political, Hagains suggests shifting your approach instead of your mood.
    — Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Nov. 2025
Definition of table talk

Browse Nearby Words

smallswords
small talk
small-time
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Small talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20talk. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All