Schmooze is a Yiddish-derived English word that refers to the act of engaging in friendly conversation, often with the intention of building relationships, networking, or exchanging information in a casual and informal manner. The term is commonly used in contexts such as business, politics, and social gatherings, where the focus is on establishing rapport and trust. In Hebrew, the equivalent term is לְהִתְרַגֵּשׁ (lehitragesh), which also means to chat or engage in friendly conversation. The word "schmooze" has been adopted into several other languages as well, including German (schmusen) and Russian (шмуз, shmuz), where it carries similar connotations of friendly, informal conversation. The act of schmoozing is often seen as a valuable skill in social and professional settings, as it can help to build connections and foster goodwill among individuals.
This is a list of words that have entered the English language from the Yiddish language, many of them by way of American English. There are differing approaches to the romanization of Yiddish orthography ; thus, the spelling of some of the words in this list may be variable.