noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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shmo͞oz
/ʃmuːz/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australia:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -uːz
CMU ARPABET:SH M UW1 Z
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
A casual conversation, especially one held in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
To talk casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
I wish he could do his job as well as he schmoozes with the boss.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
an informal conversation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: shmooze, shmoose, schmoose, jawbone
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: chew the fat, shoot the breeze, chat, confabulate, confab, chitchat, chit-chat, chatter, chaffer, natter, gossip, jaw, claver, visit
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Yiddish שמועס (shmues), from Hebrew שְׁמוּעוֹת (sh'mu'ót), plural of שְׁמוּעָה (sh'mu'á, “report, piece of news, rumor”). Cognate with German schmusen (“to cuddle”, older “to flirt, flatter, schmooze”).
Across languages
Translations
2 source translations are retained for this English entry.