Definition

1. Noun:

   • An informal conversation: "confab" refers to a casual, relaxed talk or chat, often between friends or acquaintances.
   • A chat or gossip: It can also denote a light, social discussion where information or stories are exchanged informally.

2. Verb:

   • To chat informally: The primary meaning is to engage in casual, friendly conversation.
   • To confer or discuss: In a slightly more formal sense, it can mean to have a discussion or conference to talk something over.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:

  • We had a lovely confab over coffee about our summer plans.
  • The weekly confab at the book club is always full of lively discussions.

• Verb:

  • They confabbed for hours on the porch, catching up on old times.
  • The managers will confab tomorrow to finalize the project details.

Advanced Usage

• "To have a confab": To engage in an informal discussion or chat.
  • The team leads decided to have a quick confab before the big meeting.

Variants and Related Words

• Confabulation (n): A formal term for a casual conversation or chat; also, in psychology, it can refer to the replacement of a gap in memory with a falsification that is believed to be true.
  • The evening was filled with pleasant confabulation.
• Confabulate (v): To chat or converse informally; in a clinical context, to fabricate imaginary experiences as compensation for memory loss.
  • They confabulated happily by the fireplace.

Synonyms

• Chat: To talk in a friendly, informal way.
• Converse: To engage in conversation.
• Confer: To have a discussion, typically to reach a decision.
• Gossip: Casual or unconstrained conversation about other people.

Related Phrasal Verbs

(Note: "Confab" is not typically used in phrasal verb constructions. Its usage is generally as a standalone verb or noun.)

Related Idioms

• "Shoot the breeze": To engage in casual, aimless conversation. (This idiom is a close synonym for the informal sense of "confab").
  • We weren't talking about anything important, just shooting the breeze.

Noun

1. an informal conversation

Verb

1. have a conference in order to talk something over
   • We conferred about a plan of action
2. talk socially without exchanging too much information
   • the men were sitting in the cafe and shooting the breeze