as in terminology
the special terms or expressions of a particular group or field
eventually, he got bored with the shoptalk of the nuclear engineers, which he barely understood
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Recent Examples of shoptalk
These were often portraits of people at work—jockeys, preachers, movie stars—that showcase the indiscriminate pleasure Crews took in shoptalk.
—
Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The house rule is that shoptalk is verboten on Saturdays.
—Sue Reilly, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024
The numb shoptalk of consulates?
—Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021
In shoptalk, this is called the 5:2 diet.
—Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2018
In between performances and shoptalk, Saul and Caprice are drawn into overlapping intrigues involving a dead child and an inner-beauty pageant.
—New York Times, 2 June 2022
The structure doesn’t mimic memory so much as the marathon conversations between Amis and Hitchens, some replicated here, that roved between history, gossip, craft, shoptalk.
—Parul Sehgal, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2020
But as at any industry gathering, shoptalk is hard to avoid.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2020
My mother was becoming increasingly wary of the stir-crazy shoptalk from a group of 40-year-old guys who were three trail beers away from skiing down the mountain to their deaths.
—Kaitlin Phillips, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2018
Charlie Lee, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
The house rule is that shoptalk is verboten on Saturdays.
—Sue Reilly, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024
The numb shoptalk of consulates?
—Matthew Carey Salyer, Forbes, 23 Sep. 2021
In shoptalk, this is called the 5:2 diet.
—Mark Barna, Discover Magazine, 2 Mar. 2018
In between performances and shoptalk, Saul and Caprice are drawn into overlapping intrigues involving a dead child and an inner-beauty pageant.
—New York Times, 2 June 2022
The structure doesn’t mimic memory so much as the marathon conversations between Amis and Hitchens, some replicated here, that roved between history, gossip, craft, shoptalk.
—Parul Sehgal, New York Times, 20 Oct. 2020
But as at any industry gathering, shoptalk is hard to avoid.
—Michael M. Grynbaum, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2020
My mother was becoming increasingly wary of the stir-crazy shoptalk from a group of 40-year-old guys who were three trail beers away from skiing down the mountain to their deaths.
—Kaitlin Phillips, Vogue, 13 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shoptalk
Noun
-
Over time, the confusing terminology—agentic AI, agent AI, generative AI—will fade.—
Shaz Khan,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
-
Five other experts that Popular Science corresponded with for this article all agree on this ‘crisis’ terminology.—
Lauren Leffer,
Popular Science,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
During the Cold War, popular culture provided Americans with images of (and a vocabulary for) nuclear war.—
Tom Nichols,
The Atlantic,
10 July 2025
-
But at the start of the project, which launched in 2023, their vocabularies differed dramatically.—
Adam Hurly,
Robb Report,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
In it, Italian peasants Matteo and Natale discuss this same cosmic occurrence in the rustic Paduan dialect of the time.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
3 July 2025
-
Around the table, his family speak the local dialect of the Veneto region.—
James Horncastle,
New York Times,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
On the campaign trail, the president spent time courting faith leaders throughout the country, often refusing to soften his language in those venues as well.—
Lalee Ibssa,
ABC News,
14 July 2025
-
If the discussion in the paragraph above sounds a bit dense consider that this language is paraphrased from the actual OBBBA bill.—
Martin Shenkman,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
And June 2025 brought a fresh batch of slang that's either charming, confusing, or mildly alarming.—
Annabelle Canela,
Parents,
8 July 2025
-
Words change meaning over time, slang infiltrates the mainstream, and sometimes, a little creative license is acceptable.—
Jerry Weissman,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shoptalk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shoptalk. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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