schmooze

/ʃmuz/

Other forms: schmoozing; schmoozed; schmoozes

When you schmooze at a party, you chat with many different people. Being able to schmooze casually and confidently is a good quality in a hostess or a politician.

If you say, "I just want to stop by the reception and schmooze for a little bit," it means you're going to see who's there and make smalltalk with various people. You might want to schmooze for fun, or take the opportunity to hand out your business card. You can call the conversation itself a schmooze too, and the word comes from the Yiddish shmuesn, "to chat" from shmues, "idle talk," with the Hebrew root shemu'oth, "rumors."

Definitions of schmooze

1. verb

   talk idly or casually and in a friendly way
   synonyms: jawbone, schmoose, shmoose, shmooze

   type of:

   chaffer, chat, chatter, chew the fat, chit-chat, chitchat, claver, confab, confabulate, gossip, jaw, natter, shoot the breeze, visit

   talk socially without exchanging too much information
2. noun

   an informal conversation
   synonyms: chat, confab, confabulation, schmoose

   types:

   causerie, chin wag, chin wagging, chin-wag, chin-wagging, chit chat, chit-chat, chitchat, gab, gabfest, gossip, small talk, tittle-tattle

   light informal conversation for social occasions

   type of:

   conversation

   the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.