How to Use small talk in a Sentence

small talk

noun

• They made small talk while waiting for the meeting to start.
• Didn’t have a whole lot to say, just a little small talk.
  — Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2020
• In the mind of someone with this sign, there is no point in small talk.
  — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, 25 Oct. 2019
• This has to be a call about the Army football game,’’ before offering a hello or any small talk.
  — BostonGlobe.com, 13 Nov. 2019
• An aide came to tell the pair that the president's arrival was delayed, leaving them to stand around making small talk.
  — NBC News, 4 Dec. 2019
• Wu sat quietly on the couch, her eyes trained on a script, as the others made small talk about the recent earthquake and snacked on chips.
  — Jiayang Fan, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2019
• Geralt’s great love, Yennefer of Vengerberg, openly mocks him for his lack of small talk.
  — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 1 Jan. 2020
• The over 50 crowd values a quiet afternoon with good friends more than a loud crowd of strangers making small talk.
  — Leslie Anne Tarabella, al, 22 Jan. 2020
• Bloom, King said, always wore a tie and wasted no time on small talk, reminiscing, or offering praise.
  — Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 8 Oct. 2019
• Greeting hundreds of supporters for grip-and-grin photos, the president stumbled over small talk and seemed frail, according to six attendees.
  — Carol D. Leonnig, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
• For example, rather than just standing and making small talk at a viewing, families can ask mourners to handwrite letters that will be placed under the deceased’s hand in the casket, if there is one.
  — Rosie Colosi, NBC News, 16 Oct. 2019
• But when researchers tried to replicate those results (pdf), deep conversations were associated with life satisfaction, but whether people engaged in more or less small talk was not.
  — Jenny Anderson, Quartz, 30 Sep. 2019
• Trapped between the confines of her workplace and the solitude of her flat share, Aurora seeks to resist the loneliness, alienation and ensuing small talk which begin to threaten her sense of self.
  — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 30 July 2024
• Having a twin is exactly the sort of small talk The Bachelor loves to feature as a means of momentary (and sure to be forgotten the second a one-on-one date comes up) connection.
  — Lia Beck, refinery29.com, 13 Jan. 2020
• The plan plays to Mr. Bloomberg’s financial advantage and minimizes his weaknesses—shaking hands and making small talk with voters, and giving stump speeches.
  — Tarini Parti and Lukas I. Alpert, WSJ, 16 Jan. 2020
• Our small talk happened in the mornings and in the nights.
  — Zito Madu, The New Republic, 30 Mar. 2021
• Amid the tears and small talk, the group stopped and gave Jane Doe 1 a round of applause.
  — Matthias Gafni, San Francisco Chronicle, 21 June 2021
• That’s why the small talk in this city isn’t about weather.
  — Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2021
• One of them makes small talk, asking about the name of his dog.
  — Scott Bronstein, CNN, 9 July 2020
• It’s the kind of thing that stops small talk and makes tough guys confess.
  — Sasha Frere-Jones, Harper’s Magazine , 9 Nov. 2022
• Who has time for small talk when the clock is about to strike midnight?
  — Karla Pope, Good Housekeeping, 27 Nov. 2022
• Others are drawn to the idea of avoiding small talk and the pressure to tip.
  — Corina Knoll, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024
• Dear OOO, How much small talk is the right amount in video meetings?
  — Megan Greenwell, Wired, 2 June 2021
• Williams had made some small talk and then threatened her with a gun.
  — Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 15 Oct. 2020
• Just a clumsy elbow bump and a few worlds of small talk.
  — oregonlive, 12 Apr. 2020
• Now there was no small talk with neighbors in the grocery store.
  — New York Times, 21 Feb. 2022
• Grant found fault with James making small talk with the kids who came to the Red Team to get burgers.
  — Kturnqui, oregonlive, 17 Aug. 2023
• Throughout her nearly 70 years on the throne, the 95-year-old monarch has mastered the art of small talk.
  — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, 23 Aug. 2021
• After some small talk, Cook invites the man to wait out the delay with him in the first-class lounge.
  — Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2022
• So are the morning commutes and small talk and lunch dates and handshakes.
  — S. Mitra Kalita, Fortune, 26 May 2021

Last Updated: 26 Sep 2024