chat

1 of 2

verb

chatted; chatting

intransitive verb

1
2
a
: to talk in an informal or familiar manner
b
: to take part in an online discussion in a chat room

transitive verb

chiefly British : to talk to
especially : to talk lightly, glibly, or flirtatiously with
often used with up

chat

2 of 2

noun

1
: idle small talk : chatter
2
: light informal or familiar talk
especially : conversation
3
[imitative] : any of several songbirds (as of the genera Cercomela, Granatellus, or Icteria)
4
: online discussion in a chat room
also : an instance of such discussion
participate in computer chats

Examples of chat in a Sentence

Verb We chatted about our plans for the summer. called him up to chat She stayed up all night chatting with her friends online. Noun We enjoyed a chat over coffee. software used for e-mail and chat
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
In the clip, Barrymore is shown making eggs in her pajamas, trying out an outfit, and chatting with whoever is holding the camera. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 21 Mar. 2024 In Netflix’ case, the streaming giant wanted to see proof that audiences were talking about Snyder’s appearance during the football game and chatting about the movie. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 The actress appeared on the Today show Wednesday to chat about the new horror film, including how her grandmothers made appearances both in the movie and at the Los Angeles premiere alongside her. Jen Juneau, Peoplemag, 20 Mar. 2024 The dream of tapping a button on my iPhone and chatting with the DMV, or the VA, or Medicare, is just that: a dream. Saahil Desai, The Atlantic, 20 Mar. 2024 Former Assemblyman Rusty Areias even ambled by to sit and chat for a few minutes. James Richardson, The Mercury News, 19 Mar. 2024 The students pushed back from their desks and lined up to have their books signed by Orange, who took a moment to chat with each one. Elisabeth Egan, New York Times, 18 Mar. 2024 This week, Sweeney also chatted with the Los Angeles Times about Sony’s comic book movie Madame Web, which received brutal reviews from critics and flopped at the box office. Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Our casinos offer different ways to get in touch, like emailing, chatting live, or calling them directly. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
Sign up here to receive an email right as the chat is about to start. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024 The comedian decided to publicly address the situation after the lawsuit started to make news in a brief chat with The Shade Room. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 22 Mar. 2024 At the first of 10 online sessions last January, hardened growers went off in the course’s chat box. Wesley Parnell, Rolling Stone, 22 Mar. 2024 Hoosier Birders’ Hour, 12 p.m. virtual meeting on Zoom: Join Indiana Audubon Society’s Executive Director Brad Bumgardner for this month’s fireside chat. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 21 Mar. 2024 Shanahan, 38, the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, kept mum on her VP aspirations during a chat with USA TODAY on Monday. USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 The Bing chat initially got disturbingly personal with some users, forcing the company to temporarily cut conversations short. Dina Bass, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2024 The bitchy bon mots might as well be engineered for portioning into TikTok-sized soundbites, the outrageous plot twists for drawing gasps in the group chat. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Mar. 2024 Ahead of the play’s opening night on Sunday, Calderón Kellett had a candid chat with The Times about writing Latino characters who are thriving, learning about theater from Norman Lear and making even the toughest conversations laugh-out-loud funny. Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times, 16 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English chatten, short for chatteren

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of chat was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near chat

Cite this Entry

“Chat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chat. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chat

1 of 2 verb
chatted; chatting
1
: to talk in a friendly manner about things that are not serious
2
: to take part in an online discussion in a chat room

chat

2 of 2 noun
1
: a light friendly conversation
2
: a talk held over the Internet by people using a chat room
3
: any of several songbirds with a chattering call

More from Merriam-Webster on chat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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