variants
or shmooze
schmoozed or shmoozed; schmoozing or shmoozing
: to converse informally : chat
also
: to chat in a friendly and persuasive manner especially so as to gain favor, business, or connections
: to engage in schmoozing with
she schmoozed her professors
1
: a gathering or time devoted to schmoozing
2
: casual talk that is often gossipy or ingratiating
Did you know?
Schmooze (also spelled shmooze) comes from Yiddish schmues, meaning "talk," which itself is from Hebrew shěmu’ōth, "news" or "rumor." Although originally used to indicate simply talking in an informal and warm manner, the word now commonly suggests discussion for the purposes of gaining something.
Synonyms
Examples of schmooze in a Sentence
Verb
People will have time to schmooze during the cocktail hour.
spent every spare minute of the conference schmoozing with the industry's power players
Noun
had to master the art of the schmooze if she wanted to get ahead in the business
Recent Examples on the Web
Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 2 Feb. 2025
Thomas Christiansen — Panama Thomas Christiansen is a suit and tie kinda guy who just schmoozed his way into the afterparty he wasn’t invited to.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, The Athletic, 3 July 2024
Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2025
This is also a great day to schmooze — romance is in the air!
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for schmooze 
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Verb
Sports events and fun activities with kids plus schmoozing with others will delight.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 2 Feb. 2025
Thomas Christiansen — Panama Thomas Christiansen is a suit and tie kinda guy who just schmoozed his way into the afterparty he wasn’t invited to.
—Caoimhe O'Neill, The Athletic, 3 July 2024
Noun
This is a great day to schmooze with friends, partners and even members of the general public.
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 1 Feb. 2025
This is also a great day to schmooze — romance is in the air!
—Georgia Nicols, The Denver Post, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for schmooze
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Dictionary Entries Near schmooze
Cite this Entry
“Schmooze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schmooze. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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