Meaning
To chat in a relaxed, friendly, and persuasive way, often at parties, conferences, or work events, sometimes with an undertone of working the room for personal advantage. As a noun it names such easy, strategic talk itself. The word carries a wry, informal tone: it implies warmth and sociability, but also a hint of self-interest that the Yiddish source word for chat or news did not stress. Informal and conversational; usually suggests sociability with a strategic edge. Regional use: General English (borrowed from Yiddish, with ultimate origin in Hebrew).
Origin
From Yiddish shmuesn, 'to chat,' a verb built on shmues, 'idle talk, chat,' which traces to Hebrew shemu'ah (plural shemu'oth), 'news, rumor,' from a root meaning 'to hear.' English borrowed the word in the late nineteenth century, and references differ slightly on the earliest date: Merriam-Webster dates the verb to 1888 and the noun to 1895, while Etymonline's earliest citation is 1897 in the spelling 'schmoos,' glossed as 'to chat intimately,' with 'schmoozer' recorded by 1909. In English the word settled into the informal register of networking and salesmanship, gaining the connotation of charming people in order to gain favor, business, or connections, a shade the Yiddish and Hebrew sources did not carry.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- schmoose
- shmoose
- shmooze
- shmoozing
Usage Examples
- She spent most of the reception schmoozing with donors instead of eating.
- You cannot schmooze your way through the technical interview, so study the manual.
- A little schmooze goes a long way at an industry conference.