# shoot the breeze

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/shoot-the-breeze
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To chat idly or generally waste time talking.

## Examples

- We sat on the porch and shot the breeze for hours.
- While waiting for the delayed flight, the two strangers shot the breeze about their favorite vacation spots.
- The old friends, reunited after decades, spent the entire evening shooting the breeze, their idle chatter masking the unspoken weight of years apart.

## Origin

The phrase was first recorded in 1919 as a slang allusion to the act of talking into the wind. It was preceded by a 1908 variant, shoot the bull, in which the latter term referred to empty talk or lies.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.