small talk
light conversation; chitchat.
Origin of small talk
1Other words for small talk
Words Nearby small talk
Other definitions for small-talk (2 of 2)
to engage in or have a propensity for small talk.
Origin of small-talk
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use small talk in a sentence
Finally, they consume the meal while making pleasant small talk in front of an Instagram-y backdrop meant to evoke Tulum, or a retro diner, or, more abstractly, Lucky Charms cereal.
This could be through presentations or small talk where people will be a bit rusty.
‘It will be draining to build new routines’: Rusty interpersonal skills need addressing for office returns | Jessica Davies | July 26, 2021 | DigidayWe love small talk, and finding connections to people we try to hire like where they are from.
“I really appreciated how she was also capable of moving past small talk pretty quickly,” said Dan.
Date Lab: He doesn’t like small talk. They discussed morality and the Iran nuclear deal. | Jessica M. Goldstein | June 3, 2021 | Washington PostTo this end, I pick up trash on sidewalks and make a point of making small talk with people I meet while running errands.
With airline altercations on the rise, a guide to best practices for bystanders | Tanya Ward Goodman | May 20, 2021 | Washington Post
This is what passes for small talk in English drawing rooms.
The Sex Life of King Richard III's Randy Great Great Great Grandfather | Tom Sykes | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAt a youth boxing gym up the street, Malloy tries to make small talk with the kids.
Dan Malloy Is Progressives’ Dream Governor. So Why Isn’t He Winning? | David Freedlander | October 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt was small talk, but something about the way Robin looked at me made it feel like he truly cared.
Mara Wilson Remembers Robin Williams: We're All His Goddamn Kids | Mara Wilson | August 18, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe had only been making small talk for a few minutes when he aired his views on the relative attractiveness of Semitic females.
Meet the Anti-Semites, Truthers, and Alaska Pol at D.C.’s Pro-Putin Soiree | James Kirchick | June 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAll likely had some uncomfortable small talk to make at the water cooler when they got back.
How Awkward Will Isaiah Washington’s Return to ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Be? | Marina Watts | March 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTBut her flow of small talk, the conversational stop-gap of the woman accustomed to social amenities, went on placidly.
The Hidden Places | Bertrand W. Sinclair"Your idea of small talk is rather peculiar," was Iver's dry comment.
Tristram of Blent | Anthony HopeFor nearly sixty years his outr acts of devotion afforded small-talk for the Court of France.
Court Beauties of Old Whitehall | W. R. H. TrowbridgeHe, as well as Madam de Broglie, was a master of all the modish and fashionable small talk jargon of Paris.
The Confessions of J. J. Rousseau, Complete | Jean Jacques RousseauShe tried to give it a name while Harry's small-talk trickled vaguely through her brain.
The Open Question | Elizabeth Robins
British Dictionary definitions for small talk
light conversation for social occasions
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with small talk
Casual or trivial conversation, chitchat, as in We stood around making small talk until the guest of honor arrived. The small in this expression alludes to unimportant subjects of conversation, as opposed to serious or weighty ones. [Mid-1700s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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