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Glite Dictionary
💬 A casual talk 💬 To chat
to confab

to confab

1 8.5
To talk briefly and informally with someone, often in private
  • verb
  • /kənˈfæb/
  • Informal
translation icon : charlar
  • Castor gets into his car as he confabs with the twins.

Examples

  • The team will confab to finalize the project details.

  • Mr. A sends him out into the hail, and we confab.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • "Why not confab with Quinn?" Mr. A says.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • On Moore, as he walks into the room to confab with Blane.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • Let's confab about the plans for the weekend.

  • She suggested we confab over coffee to brainstorm new ideas.

Synonyms

to confer
vsto confab
45 4.9

To talk with others to make a decision

is less formal and more casual than that consultative talk
to chat about
vsto confab
  • Informal
40 1.6

To talk in a friendly, casual way about a subject

is often used for talks that may also aim to decide or plan
to converse
vsto confab
29 3.3

To talk with someone in a friendly way

is often more decision oriented rather than only casual chatting
to confer with
vsto confab
25 4.5

Talk about something with someone to share ideas or make a decision

is more informal and casual than that consultative discussion
to jaw
vsto confab
  • Informal
6 7.7

To talk for a long time in a relaxed, often boring way

is more purposeful and focused on exchanging ideas or deciding
to chew the fat
vsto confab
  • Informal
3 7.9

Talk in a friendly, relaxed way for a long time

is generally shorter and can aim to exchange ideas or decide
to powwow
vsto confab
  • Informal
2 8.0

To meet briefly to discuss plans

is used for casual talks that do not require a formal meeting
to dialog
vsto confab
  • US
1 4.3

To talk to try to reach an agreement

is broader and can mean casual idea exchange, not only problem solving
to bounce around
vsto confab
  • Informal
1 3.9

Discuss ideas informally with other people

is used more widely for casual one to one talks or decisions
to confabulate
vsto confab
8.8

To talk together to make a decision

is the informal, casual term for that same discussion
to discussing
vsto confab
1.8

Talking with someone to share ideas and opinions

is more informal and can imply casual decision making too

How Formal

debate
  • Formal
∞ 2.0
to confer
45 4.9
to talk
∞ 1.0
to confab
  • Informal
1 8.5
to chat
  • Informal
269 1.0
chitchat
  • Informal
28 2.0

Surface Forms

confab infinitive
confabbed past
confabbed past participle
confabbing present participle
confabs third person singular

Morphology

confab = confabulate + confabulation (semi-transparent) = confabulate + confabulation

A colloquial clipping of 'confabulate'/'confabulation' that preserves the conversational meaning but is informal and the full-form base is relatively rare, so the relation may not be obvious to all learners.

Etymology

The word confab used as a verb means to have a short, informal chat. It comes from the same Latin parts com- 'with' and fabula 'talk', as in the word fable, so to confab is to 'talk together' casually.