shoot the breeze
Meaning
To chat casually and at length about unimportant topics; to make small talk in a relaxed way.
Origin
Recorded in American English in the early 1900s. “Shoot” here means “talk,” and the “breeze” suggests light, airy, inconsequential conversation—like words carried on the wind.
Notes
Relaxed, friendly small talk; implies the topics aren’t serious or important and may be time-filling. Informal and conversational; less common in very formal writing.
Examples
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We sat on the porch after dinner and just shot the breeze until it got dark.
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I ran into Maya at the café, and we shot the breeze for a few minutes before heading back to work.
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The meeting ended early, so everyone stayed behind to shoot the breeze.
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If you have time, come by this weekend and we can shoot the breeze over coffee.
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On long road trips, my dad and I shoot the breeze to pass the time.
Grammar & Usage Notes
Usually used as a verb phrase: “shoot the breeze,” often with “with + person” or “for a while.” Tense inflects (shot the breeze), but wording is fairly fixed (typically “the” breeze).
Synonyms
- chat
- make small talk
- shoot the bull
- talk idly
- chew the fat
Antonyms
- get down to business
- talk shop
- have a serious discussion