chatted; chatting
Synonyms of chat

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 Emarginata or Myrmecocichla)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
The bulk of the population actually engages in a rather high volume of daily digital reading--captions, emails, text and chat messages, news feeds, search results, etc. — Dana Kelley, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026 Warsh spoke at a fireside chat with the International Monetary Fund's managing director, Kristalina Georgieva, as part of the weeklong IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok on Friday. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026
Noun
Einbinder and the staff writer Rachel Syme sit down for what’s sure to be a lively chat. — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026 The affidavit said some of Uhls fraudulent investment deals were discussed via text in a group chat made up of blue collar workers. — Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chat

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chat. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Kids Definition

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

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