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.
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
Natasha Frost, New York Times, 1 May 2025
To succeed in a struggling industry, performing-arts administrators devote extra personal time to cultivating relationships that could be beneficial to their organizations, whether that’s schmoozing donors to secure contributions or showing up at events to be an active part of the community.
—Oliver Sava, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 June 2025
This is a great day to schmooze with neighbors, siblings and relatives.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for schmooze
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Emmanuel Macron has taken to dropping in on random bars, without press or an entourage, to schmooze with patrons and hear their day-to-day concerns.
—Natasha Frost, New York Times, 1 May 2025
To succeed in a struggling industry, performing-arts administrators devote extra personal time to cultivating relationships that could be beneficial to their organizations, whether that’s schmoozing donors to secure contributions or showing up at events to be an active part of the community.
—Oliver Sava, Vulture, 25 Apr. 2025
Noun
Several hundred were on the scene to sip, snack, shake hands, schmooze and take tours of The A List’s showroom.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 June 2025
This is a great day to schmooze with neighbors, siblings and relatives.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for schmooze
Cite this Entry
“Schmooze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/schmooze. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
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