SMALL TALK | Meaning, Definition In Cambridge English Dictionary

Meaning of small talk in English small talknoun [ U ] uk /ˈsmɔːl ˌtɔːk/ us /ˈsmɑːl ˌtɑːk/ Add to word list Add to word list conversation about things that are not important, often between people who do not know each other well: I don't enjoy parties where I have to make small talk with complete strangers. Synonym chit-chat informal Informal talking & conversation
  • bantering
  • banteringly
  • bants
  • blarney
  • bloviate
  • bull session
  • catch
  • chew the fat idiom
  • conversation
  • linen
  • locution
  • opening gambit
  • orally
  • palaver
  • patter
  • shoot
  • shoot the breeze idiom
  • shoptalk
  • speech
  • touch base idiom
See more results » (Definition of small talk from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

small talk | American Dictionary

small talknoun [ U ] us/ˈsmɔl ˌtɔk/ Add to word list Add to word list social conversation about unimportant things, often between people who do not know each other well: I hate conversation that is nothing but small talk. (Definition of small talk from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

small talk | Business English

small talknoun [ U ] uk us Add to word list Add to word list polite conversation about things that are not important, often between people who are meeting for the first time: I soon learned how to make small talk with people at formal receptions. (Definition of small talk from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of small talk

small talk Not one for small talk, he did not even bother introducing himself beyond his name. From the Cambridge English Corpus Exercises include discussion, role-play, simulation, report writing, negotiating budgets and contracts, consumer surveys, small talk, social arrangements, telling anecdotes, exchanging opinions, and socializing. From the Cambridge English Corpus For international companies, it is important that employees can communicate, make small talk, and be aware of different cultural conventions. From the Cambridge English Corpus Manifestations of the former include engaging in small talk and social talk, using humor to enter tain and amuse others, and giving approval. From the Cambridge English Corpus In a large class, topics seldom advance beyond the level of simple descriptions and small talk. From the Cambridge English Corpus The presentation phase then has video clips of people doing small talk, during which students focus on the topics of talk and the language involved. From the Cambridge English Corpus It seems desirable, for example, to gain more insight into party talk for a more comprehensive understanding of small talk. From the Cambridge English Corpus Both appear healthy, rather pretty, calmly enjoying everyday small talk. From the Cambridge English Corpus Badmouthing the theory is undoubtedly one of the safest ways to make small talk in bioethical meetings. From the Cambridge English Corpus Finally, the extension phase sends the learners out into the community (where this is feasible) to observe small talk in real settings and then report back to their class. From the Cambridge English Corpus Small talk : analysing phatic discourse. From the Cambridge English Corpus We used to exchange the usual small talk and talk shop. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 We still do not know what was the small talk round the dinner table. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 But all this small talk is not what the country wants. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 When we met our hosts—their hospitality was legendary—introductions were made and the usual get-to-know-you small talk ensued. From the Hansard archive Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0 See all examples of small talk These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors. What is the pronunciation of small talk?

Translations of small talk

in Chinese (Traditional) 閒聊,寒暄… See more in Chinese (Simplified) 闲聊,寒暄… See more in Spanish conversación trivial… See more in Portuguese conversa superficial, banalidades… See more in Japanese in Polish in Turkish in Catalan in Korean in Italian 世間話, (軽い)おしゃべり… See more rozmowa o niczym… See more davetlerde ayaküstü yapılan muhabbet, şundan bundan konuşma… See more conversa trivial… See more (사교 행사에서 예의상 나누는 대화)한담, 잡담… See more il parlare del più e del meno… See more Need a translator?

Get a quick, free translation!

Translator tool

Browse

small self-administered pension scheme small self-administered scheme small shopkeeper small stock small talk small wonder idiom small-batch small-cell lung cancer small-minded {{#randomImageQuizHook.filename}} {{#randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} Test your vocabulary with our fun image quizzes Try a quiz now {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{^randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.isQuiz}} {{/randomImageQuizHook.filename}}

Word of the Day

in all modesty

said when you want to say something good about yourself, but do not want to seem to think you are too important

About this

Blog

Pondering, musing, and brooding (The language of thinking)

February 11, 2026 Read More

New Words

treatonomics February 16, 2026 More new words has been added to list To top AI icon AI Assistant Contents EnglishAmericanBusinessExamplesTranslations AI icon AI Assistant {{#displayLoginPopup}} Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Sign up for free and get access to exclusive content: Free word lists and quizzes from Cambridge Tools to create your own word lists and quizzes Word lists shared by our community of dictionary fans Sign up now or Log in Cambridge Dictionary +Plus

Learn more with +Plus

Create word lists and quizzes for free Sign up now or Log in {{/displayLoginPopup}} {{#displayClassicSurvey}} {{/displayClassicSurvey}}
  • Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
  • My profile
  • +Plus help
  • Log out
AI Assistant Dictionary Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English Translations Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English English–Danish Danish–English English–Dutch Dutch–English English–French French–English English–German German–English English–Indonesian Indonesian–English English–Italian Italian–English English–Japanese Japanese–English English–Norwegian Norwegian–English English–Polish Polish–English English–Portuguese Portuguese–English English–Spanish Spanish–English English–Swedish Swedish–English Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese Translate Grammar Thesaurus Pronunciation Cambridge Dictionary +Plus Games {{userName}}
  • Cambridge Dictionary +Plus
  • My profile
  • +Plus help
  • Log out
Log in / Sign up English (UK) Change English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Follow us Choose a dictionary
  • Recent and Recommended {{#preferredDictionaries}} {{name}} {{/preferredDictionaries}}
  • Definitions Clear explanations of natural written and spoken English English Learner’s Dictionary Essential British English Essential American English
  • Grammar and thesaurus Usage explanations of natural written and spoken English Grammar Thesaurus
  • Pronunciation British and American pronunciations with audio English Pronunciation
  • Translation Click on the arrows to change the translation direction. Bilingual Dictionaries
    • English–Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Simplified)–English
    • English–Chinese (Traditional) Chinese (Traditional)–English
    • English–Danish Danish–English
    • English–Dutch Dutch–English
    • English–French French–English
    • English–German German–English
    • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English
    • English–Italian Italian–English
    • English–Japanese Japanese–English
    • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English
    • English–Polish Polish–English
    • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English
    • English–Spanish Spanish–English
    • English–Swedish Swedish–English
    Semi-bilingual Dictionaries English–Arabic English–Bengali English–Catalan English–Czech English–Gujarati English–Hindi English–Korean English–Malay English–Marathi English–Russian English–Tamil English–Telugu English–Thai English–Turkish English–Ukrainian English–Urdu English–Vietnamese
  • Dictionary +Plus Word Lists
Choose your language English (UK) English (US) Español Português 中文 (简体) 正體中文 (繁體) Dansk Deutsch Français Italiano Nederlands Norsk Polski Русский Türkçe Tiếng Việt Svenska Українська 日本語 한국어 ગુજરાતી தமிழ் తెలుగు বাঙ্গালি मराठी हिंदी Contents
  • English   Noun
  • American   Noun
  • Business   Noun
  • Examples
  • Translations
  • Grammar
  • All translations
My word lists

To add small talk to a word list please sign up or log in.

Sign up or Log in My word lists

Add small talk to one of your lists below, or create a new one.

{{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{name}} More Go to your word lists {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

Something went wrong.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} Tell us about this example sentence: The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}} The word in the example sentence does not match the entry word. The sentence contains offensive content. Cancel Submit Thanks! Your feedback will be reviewed. {{#verifyErrors}}

{{message}}

{{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{#message}}

{{message}}

{{/message}} {{^message}}

There was a problem sending your report.

{{/message}} {{/verifyErrors}}

Tag » What Does No Small Talk Mean