What it means
To schmooze is to lay on the charm in a chat so someone leaves feeling warm, seen, and just helpful enough to do you a little favour. It lives somewhere between harmless networking and shameless sucking up. If you're schmoozing, you're not just talking. You're working the room with a grin and a tiny agenda tucked behind it.
Usage examples
"At the work do he schmoozed the big boss about golf, bought a round, and somehow walked out with a promotion and three drink tokens."
"He schmoozed the agent for three hours at the Edinburgh Festival, bought drinks, laughed at every story, and walked out with a contract for a tour of provincial theatres in autumn."
"Do not schmooze the new boss too obviously, the whole open-plan office can see it, and Karen from finance has already started sending screenshots to the group chat."
"She spent half the wedding schmoozing her manager's wife, smiling like rent was due on Monday and she needed a miracle by Tuesday."
"Don't just stand by the hummus looking haunted, go schmooze a bit. That's literally why they printed name tags."
Where it comes from
It came into English through Yiddish, from shmuesn or shmues, which meant to chat or have a talk. In American English it gradually picked up that extra shiny layer of strategic friendliness, especially in business, media, and politics, where casual chat often comes with a goal hiding in its pocket.
Other ways to say it
Editors of this term
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