(chatted, chatting)no obj.
1- talk in a friendly and informal way闲聊：
she chatted to her mother on the phone every day.
她每天打电话和母亲闲聊。
1.1
- exchange messages online in real time with one or more simultaneous users of a computer network网聊：
I have chatted to a few women on the Net.
我在网上和几个女性聊过天。
1
- an informal conversation随意交谈; 闲谈：
he dropped in for a chat
他顺道来访, 闲谈了一番
mass noun that's enough chat for tonight.今晚就聊到这里吧。
1.1
- the online exchange of messages in real time with one or more simultaneous users of a computer network网聊：
online chat has been widely accepted by average Internet users.
网聊已为普通网民广泛接受。
WORD TRENDS
It seems that the Internet has taken over from the garden fence as the favourite place for a chat. The Oxford English Corpus shows that the most common collocates of both the noun and the verb are computer-related， such as online， Internet， and Web, with chat room now four times as common as chat show. Though webcams and microphones are widely available， most people still choose to conduct their online chatting via keyboard， meaning that the word has shifted from a completely verbal method of communication to one that encompasses typing. People who regularly chat together online may never actually hear each other's voices.
词源
Middle English: shortening of CHATTER.
短语动词
chat someone up
1
- informal engage someone in flirtatious conversation〈非正式〉与某人调情。
1.1
- talk persuasively to someone, especially with a particular motive（尤指有目的地）与某人攀谈：
I chatted up the paper's editor, feigning interest in his anecdotes.
我故意和报纸编辑攀谈, 假装对他的奇闻轶事很感兴趣。
1
- often in combination a small Old World songbird of the thrush family, with a harsh call and typically with bold black, white, and buff or chestnut coloration石。
1.1
- Saxicola and other genera, family Turdidae: numerous species.石属及其他属, 鸫科：众多种。参见BUSHCHAT, STONECHAT, WHINCHAT.
2
- with modifier any of a number of small songbirds with harsh calls鸣禽：
2.1
- a New World warbler that typically has a yellow or pink breast (genera Icteria and Granatellus, family Parulidae).一种西半球鸣鸟, 其胸多呈黄色或粉红色（大莺属, 和莺属, 森莺科）。
2.2
- an Australian songbird related to the honeyeaters, the male of which is either mainly yellow or boldly marked (genera Ephthianura and Ashbyia, family Ephthianuridae).一种澳大利亚鸣鸟, 与蜜雀有亲缘关系, 其雄性体色主要呈黄色或带有醒目斑点（澳属, 和漠澳属, 澳科）。
词源
late 17th cent.: probably imitative of its call.