shoot the shit

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

To chat casually; to gossip.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Trò chuyện tùy tiện, tán gẫu

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Register: slang, vulgar

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

We didn't do much besides stand around and shoot the shit, but it was fun to see him again.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “shoot the shit” mean?

To chat casually; to gossip.

Is “shoot the shit” formal or informal?

shoot the shit is generally slang, vulgar.