chat

¹

[ chat ]

verb (used without object)

, chat·ted, chat·ting.

1. to converse in a familiar or informal manner.

   Synonyms: visit, gossip, chitchat, talk

2. Digital Technology. to participate with one or more people, through the internet, in a real-time conversation, typically as a series of short text exchanges in a specific application, as instant messaging, or by using images, voice, video, or some combination of these:

   The kids were able to chat with their grandma online.

   Join our online community to chat about TV shows.

noun

1. an informal conversation:

   We had a pleasant chat.

   Synonyms: visit, gossip, chitchat, talk

2. Digital Technology. a real-time conversation between two or more people over the internet or another computer network: instant messaging, chat room.

   Join our free video chat. Have a live chat with one of our customer service representatives.

3. any of several small Old World thrushes, especially of the genus Saxicola, having a chattering cry.
4. yellow-breasted chat.

adjective

1. Digital Technology. noting or relating to an online chat:

   a chat session.

verb phrase

1. Chiefly British.
   1. to talk flirtatiously with.
   2. to talk to in a friendly, open way.

Chât.

²

abbreviation for

1. (especially in Bordeaux wines) Château.

chat

¹

/ tʃæt /

noun

1. informal conversation or talk conducted in an easy familiar manner
2. the exchange of messages in an internet or other network chatroom
3. any Old World songbird of the subfamily Turdinae (thrushes, etc) having a harsh chattering cry See also stonechat whinchat
4. any of various North American warblers, such as Icteria virens ( yellow-breasted chat )
5. any of various Australian wrens (family Muscicapidae ) of the genus Ephthianura and other genera

verb

1. to talk in an easy familiar way
2. to exchange messages in a chatroom

chat

²

/ tʃæt /

noun

1. archaic.
   a catkin, esp a willow catkin

Other Words From

• chatta·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of chat¹

First recorded in 1400–50; (verb) late Middle English chatt(e); short for chatter

Word History and Origins

Origin of chat¹

C16: short for chatter

Origin of chat²

C15: from French chat cat, referring to the furry appearance

Example Sentences

Make a group chat so you can co-ordinate your efforts and, most importantly, put all of your registration numbers and postcodes in a shared document so the first person to reach the front of the queue is ready.

From BBC

In one chat group for gay kids and their parents, a distressed young man recently confided he had not heard from his mother since coming out to her a month earlier.

From Los Angeles Times

The next day, the creator of the chat group interrupted with a sudden warning: Someone had reported the group for violating platform rules.

From Los Angeles Times

“This chat could disappear at any time,” she wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

“I thought and realized that I really have something to tell people, and it’s also more about talking openly about that part of my life that you can’t discuss with family and friends. After all, it’s better to ask advice on how to best bake pot cookies in a chat of like-minded people, and not from your mother, right?”

From Salon

Related Words

• chatter
• go on