chitchat
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
- chitchatty adjective
Etymology
Origin of chitchat
First recorded in 1700–10; gradational compound based on chat
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Spend enough time around cybersecurity types, and questions like the one above might feel like lighthearted chitchat.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026
“She can continue to chitchat with Kermit. And that was really charming for her and certainly charming for us. And how can you not have fun on a set like that?”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
The next two hours were filled with chitchat in between sets: Nicole’s end-of-school-year frenzy, Rich’s musician thoughts about those sweet drum riffs and where we should all go to grab a bite after.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 7, 2025
Why spend energy on casual chitchat when Viv was always ready to dive deep?
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 2, 2025
“It looks like the troops are goldbricking again and the C.O. needs to revamp the work detail. Let’s cut the idle chitchat and police up the area.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
