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Phrasal Verbs

chat up

This page is about the phrasal verb 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

a. improve his English

b. sell her something

c. sleep with her
a) improve his English b) sell her something c) sleep with her

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1000 Phrasal Verbs in Context

Contributor: Matt Errey