chitchat
chitchat — noun
1. friendly, informal talk about everyday things such as the weather or what someon
friendly, informal talk about everyday things such as the weather or what someone did recently, often used when people meet in social situations
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
The meeting started with a few minutes of chitchat before the serious discussion began.
During the lunch break, the staff engaged in light chitchat about their weekend plans.
We only had time for a brief chitchat before Yusuf had to catch his train.
- 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
- serious discussion
focused on important or weighty topics
- debate
formal, structured exchange of opposing views
文法句型
some chitchat
a + [adjective] + chitchat
用法筆記
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.