chat

[tʃæt]

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chatting - chat

A chat is an informal conversation with someone.

When people talk about having a chat, they usually mean a casual, relaxed discussion with friends or colleagues. You can have a quick chat while grabbing coffee with a friend or a more in-depth chat over dinner with family. Sometimes you might even have a chat on the phone or through messaging apps. The key is that it's not a formal conversation, like one at work or school, but rather just a friendly exchange of thoughts and ideas.

How common is "chat"?

Word chat is considered uncommon in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.

Definitions

noun

Informal conversation.
A conversation to stop an argument or settle situations.
(totum pro parte, typically with definite article) The entirety of users in a chatroom or a single member thereof.
Example: The Chat just made a joke about my skills.
An exchange of text or voice messages in real time through a computer network, resembling a face-to-face conversation.
Any of various small Old World passerine birds in the muscicapid tribe Saxicolini or subfamily Saxicolinae that feed on insects.
Any of several small Australian honeyeaters in the genus Epthianura.

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verb

To be engaged in informal conversation.
Example: I like to chat over a coffee with a friend.
To talk more than a few words.
Example: I met my old friend in the street, so we chatted for a while.
To talk of; to discuss.
Example: They chatted politics for a while.
To exchange text or voice messages in real time through a computer network, as if having a face-to-face conversation.
Example: Do you want to chat online later?

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Real examples of "chatting" in context

Elizabeth Olsen Feels Brave While Eating Spicy Wings | Hot Ones

Interview

and of course chatting with Jessie Ware and her mom over Lebanese lamb on table manners.

12:24

Film Theory: Why Do You Still Care About Gravity Falls?

Entertainment

had people on message boards or chatting around the water cooler. But Gravity Falls was one of

15:41

of a smartphone. You could literally be live chatting on the forums, or live blogging on

15:50