small talk
nounDefinition of small talk
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Synonyms for small talk
Synonyms
backchat, cackle, causerie, chat, chatter, chin music, chin-wag [slang], chitchat, confab, confabulation, gab, gabfest, gossip, jangle, jaw, natter [chiefly British], palaver, patter, rap, schmooze, table talk, talk, tête-à-tête
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Examples of small talk in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The woman made small talk with officers on the driveway and was allowed back in when officers finished executing the search warrant. — Megan Cassidy, SFChronicle.com, "Ex-Raider among 12 facing charges in smartphone robbery ring," 5 Sep. 2019 The clinician then seems to want to force their way to the task at hand, and forget the small talk where rapport could be built. — Michael Erard, Quartz, "How a doctor and a linguist are using AI to better talk to dying patients," 3 Sep. 2019 As if by magic, the next day Jean shows up at her café, orders coffee and makes small talk. — Boyd Van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Madre': Film Review | Venice 2019," 30 Aug. 2019 The husbands, Robert Rogers and Richard Fasano, would exchange small talk while their wives, Deborah Rogers and Donna Fasano, were being treated for ovarian stimulation and egg retrieval. — Dov Fox, WIRED, "What Happens When Reproductive Tech Like IVF Goes Awry?," 17 July 2019 When Jennings left, the man followed him home, making small talk about the Navy. — Sidney Fussell, The Atlantic, "How Stonewall Reversed a Long History of Justifying Police Surveillance," 29 June 2019 Their wives and children were friends, and the pair engaged in small talk at family gatherings. — Kara Carlson, Dallas News, "Why two Fort Worth bourbon lovers grew Texas’ biggest distillery, and then sold it," 12 Aug. 2019 An 89-year-old man had just finished his afternoon walk around 3:40 p.m. June 5 when the suspect approached him with small talk, according to information from the Houston Police Department robbery division. — Jay R. Jordan, Houston Chronicle, "Video shows elderly man beaten feet from his doorstep during robbery in southeast Houston," 24 June 2019 Garner would soon discover the investigators weren’t there for small talk. — Michael Williams, orlandosentinel.com, "Man reacts with disbelief after DNA links him to decades-old killing: ‘This is almost like the Twilight Zone’," 8 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'small talk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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