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
Their small talk is perfectly natural, philosophical and hilarious.
—
Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
And the show captures the kind of bull — and bullying — that passes for small talk in Hollywood.
—Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
One challenge neurodivergent people may have is conforming to social cues, which can be harmful in interviews or promotion-selection processes where things like handshakes, eye contact and small talk can heavily influence employment decisions.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Branch out in conversations with your kids: Amid daily small talk, Dr. Mohr Lone found value in bringing up philosophical concepts with her sons.
—Alana Bracken, Parents, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for small talk
Alexandra Jacobs, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2025
And the show captures the kind of bull — and bullying — that passes for small talk in Hollywood.
—Nina Metz, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
One challenge neurodivergent people may have is conforming to social cues, which can be harmful in interviews or promotion-selection processes where things like handshakes, eye contact and small talk can heavily influence employment decisions.
—Julie Kratz, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Branch out in conversations with your kids: Amid daily small talk, Dr. Mohr Lone found value in bringing up philosophical concepts with her sons.
—Alana Bracken, Parents, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for small talk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for small talk
Noun
-
Any contacts and chats from Skype will automatically appear when users log into the free version of Teams with their Skype credentials.—
Amaris Encinas,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
-
But, whatever the White House and its most fervent allies insisted at the time, the Signal chat was a major embarrassment.—
The Editors,
National Review,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
Initiate talks to extend Kempe The four-year, $22-million contract extension that Kempe signed in 2022 has been an unmitigated bargain.—
Eric Stephens,
New York Times,
3 May 2025
-
The humanitarian situation improved during the ceasefire, but in early March, Israel suspended aid completely, and talks to extend the ceasefire broke down.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
There has been a lot of chatter on the internet and social media in recent weeks that ALDI’s Summit Diet Cola is just as good, or even better, than the original.—
Jenna Sims,
Southern Living,
3 May 2025
-
His dramas, rarely built on tightly interlocking shards of plot, are instead propelled by ambient forces: blasts of music, gusts of chatter.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
2 May 2025
Noun
-
Each monthly box includes three recipe guides, skill lessons, a kitchen tool, a kitchen project, an apron patch, table talk cards, and a grocery list.—
Jessica Booth,
Parents,
16 Dec. 2024
-
Almost everything about Thanksgiving, from travel to table talk about politics, has the potential to become fraught.—
Kendra Nordin Beato,
The Christian Science Monitor,
26 Nov. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Small talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/small%20talk. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share