Definition

1. Noun:

   • Light, informal conversation for social occasions: Casual talk that is not serious or about important matters, often used to be friendly or to pass time.

2. Verb:

   • To talk socially without exchanging too much information: To engage in light, informal conversation.

Examples

• Noun:

  • We had a pleasant chitchat with the neighbors over the fence.
  • The meeting started with some casual chitchat before getting down to business.

• Verb:

  • They chitchatted about the weather while waiting for the bus.
  • I saw her chitchatting with a colleague in the hallway.

Advanced Usage

• "to make chitchat": To engage in light conversation, often with someone you do not know well.
  • At the party, I had to make chitchat with several strangers.

Variants and Related Words

• Chit-chat: An alternative spelling of the noun and verb.
  • It was just idle chit-chat.

Synonyms

• Small talk: Casual conversation about unimportant things.
• Gossip: (As a noun for casual talk) Often implies talk about other people's private lives.
• Chat: A more general term for informal talking.

Related Phrases

• Shoot the breeze: (Idiom, verb phrase) To chat in a relaxed, informal way.
  • They spent the afternoon shooting the breeze on the porch. (This is a related idiom, not a phrasal verb of 'chitchat').

Related Idioms

• Chew the fat: (Idiom) Similar to "shoot the breeze"; to have a long, informal conversation.
  • The old friends sat around chewing the fat for hours.

Noun

1. light informal conversation for social occasions

Verb

1. talk socially without exchanging too much information
   • the men were sitting in the cafe and shooting the breeze