Meanings
plural chit-chats · alternative chitchat · alternative chit chat
- countableuncountableLight conversation; casual talk, usually about trivial matters.
He speaks rapidly, with clarity and with obvious enthusiasm. No time is wasted on idle chit-chat.
2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 501 more example
“What are you doing down here, father?” “Just having a bit of chitchat with your curious creation.” “Right.”
2024 November 11, Jake Bender & Zach Dunn, “Laszlo's Father” (20:06 from the start), in What We Do in the Shadows, season 6, episode 6, spoken by Lord Roderick Cravensworth (Steve Coogan)Synonyms: chinwag
- countableuncountableGossip.
present singular third person chit-chats · participle present chit-chatting · participle past chit-chatted · past chit-chatted · alternative chitchat · alternative chit chat
- colloquialintransitiveTo engage in small talk, to discuss unimportant matters.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounLight conversation; casual talk, usually about trivial matters.
More synonyms by meaning
nounlight informal conversation for social occasions
verbtalk socially without exchanging too much information
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Reduplication of chat. Compare tittle-tattle, flim-flam, pitter-patter, etc.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian при́казка, лаф
- при́казка (príkazka)gossip
- лаф (laf)gossip
- прика́звам (prikázvam)to engage in small talk
- прика́жа (prikáža)to engage in small talk
- ла́фя (láfja)to engage in small talk
Czech tlachání, tlachat
- tlachánígossip
- tlachatto engage in small talk
- bavit seto engage in small talk
- kecatto engage in small talk
Danish sludder, småsnakke
- sluddergossip
- småsnakketo engage in small talk
- sludreto engage in small talk
Dutch roddel, over koetjes en kalfjes praten
- roddelgossip
- over koetjes en kalfjes pratento engage in small talk
Finnish jutustelu, rupattelu
- jutustelugossip
- rupattelugossip
- jutustellato engage in small talk
- rupatellato engage in small talk
French blabla, parlotte
- blablagossip
- parlottegossip
- bavardagegossip
- causettegossip
- blablaterto engage in small talk
- parler de la pluie et du beau tempsto engage in small talk
- parler de tout et de riento engage in small talk
- tailler une bavetteto engage in small talk
German über Gott und die Welt reden
- über Gott und die Welt redento engage in small talk
Hungarian csevegés, pletykálás
- csevegésgossip
- pletykálásgossip
- csevegto engage in small talk
- pletykálto engage in small talk
Icelandic rabb, mas
- rabbgossip
- masgossip
Irish giob geab
- giob geabgossip
Italian pettegolezzo, chiacchiera
- pettegolezzogossip
- chiacchieragossip
- diceriagossip
- ciarlagossip
- maldicenzagossip
Norwegian babbel
- babbelgossip
Polish gadka szmatka, plotka
- gadka szmatkagossip
- plotkagossip
- gawędzićto engage in small talk
- plotkowaćto engage in small talk
Portuguese tagarelar
- tagarelarto engage in small talk
Russian болтовня́, болта́ть
- болтовня́ (boltovnjá)gossip
- болта́ть (boltátʹ)to engage in small talk
- лясы точить (ljasy točitʹ)to engage in small talk
Scottish Gaelic goileam, seanchas
- goileamgossip
- seanchasgossip
Spanish cotilleo, cháchara
- cotilleogossip
- chácharagossip
- paliquegossip
- tequegossip
- conversaogossip
- cotillearto engage in small talk
- charlotearto engage in small talk
Swedish småprata
- småpratato engage in small talk
Cite this entry
chit-chat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chit-chat
“chit-chat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chit-chat. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chit-chat,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chit-chat.
Source: chit-chat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.