small-talk
Chunk: small talk
Meaning & Usage
Small talk is polite, casual conversation about unimportant, uncontroversial matters (like the weather or weekend plans). It is typically used to fill silence or be friendly with strangers, colleagues, or acquaintances.
🧲 Common Collocates
- Verbs: make small talk, hate small talk, good at small talk.
- Contexts: small talk at a party, awkward small talk, office small talk.
💬 Contextual Examples
- I absolutely hate making small talk at networking events.
- We stood in the elevator making awkward small talk about the weather.
- He is a great salesman because he is very good at small talk.
🎴 Interactive Web Practice
Practice 1: I never know what to say during small ______ with strangers.
Answer:
talk Practice 2: She tried to ______ small talk with the taxi driver, but he was very quiet.
Answer:
make Practice 3: Let's skip the ______ talk and get straight to business.
Answer:
small