Skip to Content
English Club : Learn English : Vocabulary
Vocabulary : Phrasal Verbs : C : chat up

< Previous | Next >

chat up British and Australian English Informal

Meaning: to talk to someone in the hope of beginning a romantic relationship with them

Synonym: hit on (informal), flirt with

For example:

  • chat up sb Juan is very good at chatting up girls. He knows how to make them laugh.

  • chat sb up Mark finds it difficult to chat guys up because he often feels shy, and he doesn't know what to say.

Variety: This is typically used in British and Australian English but may be used in other varieties of English too.

Quick Quiz:

Hiroko is chatting the girl up because he wants to
  1. improve his English
  2. sell her something
  3. sleep with her

Grammar explanation: separable and non-separable phrasal verbs

Get the ebook:
1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context

Discuss: chat up

Phrasal Verb of the Day

This entry is in the following categories: