chitchat

chitchat — noun

1. friendly, informal talk about everyday things such as the weather or what someon

1.nounB1
Definition

friendly, informal talk about everyday things such as the weather or what someone did recently, often used when people meet in social situations

Example

The two neighbours had a pleasant chitchat over the garden fence on Saturday morning.

collocation: have + chitchat

Aiko and Maria exchanged some chitchat about the weather as they waited for the bus.

collocation: exchange + chitchat

Common collocations
  • light chitchat
  • brief chitchat
  • pleasant chitchat
  • exchange chitchat
  • engage in chitchat
  • make chitchat
Synonyms
  • small talk

    more neutral; the standard term for casual conversation in any register

  • gossip

    focuses on talking about other people's private lives; can carry a negative tone

  • chat

    broader; can cover longer, deeper conversations, not just light topics

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

some chitchat

a + [adjective] + chitchat

Usage Note

Treated as an uncountable noun in most contexts (some chitchat, a lot of chitchat), but a/an is possible when referring to a single short instance (a brief chitchat with a colleague). Avoid using this word in formal writing.

Common Mistakes

We shared some chitchats about the movie.
We shared some chitchat about the movie.
chitchat is uncountable and does not take a plural -s.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Small talk and chitchat are the closest pair — both describe light, informal conversation. However, chitchat feels more playful and slightly less formal, while small talk is the neutral, standard term often taught to language learners. Gossip differs sharply: it focuses on other people's private affairs and carries a negative judgment. Chat is the broadest of the three — it can describe any friendly conversation, whether about the weather (light) or a major life decision (serious). For example: 'We exchanged chitchat about the weekend' (light/passing); 'We had a long chat about her moving abroad' (serious/caring). Use small talk when you need a neutral term; use gossip only when the talk involves people who are not present.

small talkgossip ↗chat ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • make chitchat
  • engage in chitchat
  • exchange chitchat
  • have a chitchat

Prepositions

Etymology

EnglishMiddle English

Chitchat is formed by repeating and slightly changing the word chat, a pattern called reduplication in English. Chat comes from Middle English chatten, meaning 'to chatter' or 'to talk idly.' The playful doubling (chit- + chat) gives the word a lighter, friendlier tone. The same pattern appears in other English words such as tittle-tattle and wishy-washy.