chat
[noun]
Synonyms:
- talk, chatter, chinwag (Brit. informal), conversation, gossip, heart-to-heart, natter, tête-à-tête
[verb]
Synonyms:
- talk, chatter, gossip, jaw (slang), natter

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Contrasted words: discourse, expound, declaim, harangue, hold forth, orate, preach, debate, deliberation, discussion
Related Idioms: beat one's gums, chew the fat (or rag), shoot (or bat) the breeze, shoot (or sling) the bull, bull session, rap session
Related Words: yap, blab, gossip, gush, lallygag, confabulate, tête-à-tête

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English Thesaurus: conversation, discussion, talk, chat, natter, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. chat¹ S2 /tʃæt/ noun [uncountable and countable]
especially British English an informal friendly conversation
chat with
I’ve had a long chat with Vinnie.
chat about
a chat about the weather
She was enjoying their friendly little chat.
She used to drop in for a chat quite often.
⇒ backchat

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. chat² verb (past tense and past participle chatted, present participle chatting) [intransitive]
[Date: 1400-1500; Origin: chatter]

1. (also chat away) especially British English to talk in a friendly informal way, especially about things that are not important:
John and I sat up until the early hours chatting.
chat with/to
Mary was there, chatting to her mother.
chat about
Susie chatted away about her social life.

2. to communicate with several people in a chat room on the Internet
chat somebody ↔ up phrasal verb
British English informal to talk to someone in a way that shows you are sexually attracted to them:
I spent the evening chatting up Liz.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

chat
noun
ADJ. brief, little, quick, short | long | cosy, fireside, friendly, good, nice | casual, informal | quiet | interesting | idle | confidential, private
VERB + CHAT have We had a nice chat over a cup of tea.
CHAT + NOUN show
PREP. ~ about a chat about his new job
~ between a chat between Mr Blair and a journalist
~ to/with I'll have a chat to John about it. a friendly chat with a neighbour

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

chat
verb
ADV. briefly | amicably, casually, easily, informally You will have a chance to circulate and chat informally.
politely | away They chatted away to each other.
PREP. about We chatted briefly about the weather.
to George was in the kitchen chatting to some friends.
with I spent a happy half-hour chatting with a friend.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

chat

have a chat
We were just having a chat.
call in/round for a chat
Are you free later if I call in for a chat?
meet up for a chat
Sometimes we go to the cinema or just meet up for a chat.
enjoy a chat
Most people enjoy a good chat.
a little chat
Why don’t you call her and have a little chat.
a brief chat formal
My manager said he wanted to have a brief chat with me.
a bit of a chat spoken BrE:
Perhaps I could have a bit of a chat with him.
a long chat
We sat down and had a long chat.
a friendly chat
New students sometimes just need to have a friendly chat with someone.
a cosy chat (=a relaxed and usually private one)
I made some coffee and we had a cosy chat.
an informal chat
Come and see me any time if you want an informal chat about jobs.
a private/confidential chat
Have a confidential chat with the school nurse.
a quiet chat (=one that other people will not interrupt.)
Let’s go and have a quiet chat over lunch.
an online chat (=one had with someone over the internet)
With MSN you can have an online chat with your friends.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

conversation noun [uncountable and countable] an informal talk in which people exchange news, feelings, and thoughts:
I was having a conversation with a friend the other day.
Conversation wasn’t easy because of all the noise.
He overheard our conversation about the children.
discussion noun [uncountable and countable] a conversation about something important:
There was a lot of discussion about where the money was going to come from.
The two companies have been having discussions about a possible takeover.
talk noun [countable] a long conversation, especially about a problem or about what you plan to do:
We had a long talk about our relationship.
chat noun [countable] especially British English an informal friendly conversation:
I’ve just had a chat with Vinnie.
natter noun [singular] British English informal a conversation with a friend about unimportant things:
Mary and Jean were having a cup of tea and a natter.
gossip noun [singular, uncountable] conversations in which people talk about things they have heard, especially about other people’s private lives, which may well not be true:
She always enjoyed going to friends’ houses and having a gossip.
It’s all just gossip.
small talk noun [uncountable] polite friendly conversation about unimportant subjects, especially when you do not know someone very well and feel a little nervous:
We stood around making small talk about the weather.
banter noun [uncountable] friendly conversation in which people joke with each other and gently make fun of each other:
She enjoyed the friendly banter with her colleagues at the office.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

surf the net verb to look quickly through information on the Internet, looking for anything that interests you:
He spends his evenings surfing the net.
search to look for a specific piece of information on the Internet, for example by entering text into a box:
Try searching for his name on Google.
shop/book online to buy things or reserve tickets using the Internet:
More and more people are preferring to shop online.
It’s easier to book online.
visit a website to look at a particular Internet site:
You can check to see how many people visit your website.
download to get files, programs, music, films etc from the Internet and put them on your own computer:
I downloaded the software for free from the Internet.
chat to communicate with several people in a chat room on the Internet:
Using the Internet, you can chat to people from around the world.
search something carefully
We searched the whole house carefully, but didn’t find anything.
search something thoroughly
They searched the garden thoroughly.
search frantically/desperately (=in a hurried way, because you feel very worried)
Panic-stricken parents frantically searched for their children.
search high and low (=search everywhere)
We searched high and low for him, but couldn’t find him.
search something from top to bottom (=search all the rooms in a building)
They searched the house from top to bottom.
search in vain
He searched in vain for a means of escape.
search to look carefully for someone or something:
Detectives continue to search for clues.
She searched through all his clothes.
look for somebody/something to try to get someone or something you want or need:
I’m looking for something to wear for my sister’s wedding.
The band is looking for a singer.
He’s decided to look for a new career.
try to find somebody/something used especially when someone or something is difficult to find:
I spent half an hour trying to find a parking space.
She was in the kitchen, trying to find something to eat that wasn’t raw carrot.
seek formal to try to find something or someone. Used especially about jobs, help, or information. Also used in newspaper advertisements when trying to find a suitable person:
They went there seeking work.
She decided to seek help.
Tall blond 18-year-old male seeks female 17+ for friendship.
hunt to look for someone or something. Used when you look very carefully and thoroughly, or in the phrase house/job/bargain hunting:
I’ve hunted everywhere, but I can’t find a recipe for French onion soup.
She’s gone out bargain-hunting in the sales.
be on the lookout for somebody/something to be continuously looking for someone or something:
I’m always on the lookout for a good bargain.
leave no stone unturned to look for someone or something in every possible place:
The police say they will leave no stone unturned in their search for the killer.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲