banter

verb

ban·ter | \ ˈban-tər

bantered; bantering; banters

Definition of banter

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to speak to or address in a witty and teasing manner She laughed and bantered him a little, remembering too late that she should have been dignified and reserved.— Kate Chopin

2 archaic : delude

3 chiefly Southern US and Midland US : challenge

intransitive verb

: to speak or act playfully or wittily The two friends bantered with each other.

banter

noun

Definition of banter (Entry 2 of 2)

: good-natured and usually witty and animated joking listening to their lively banter

Other Words from banter Synonyms Can banter be vicious? More Example Sentences Learn More about banter

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Can banter be vicious?

Noun

Banter refers to a form of jesting or to the act of exchanging joking repartee. Although the word once meant “ridicule,” and though it has a regional sense "a challenge or dare" (as in, "he performed a banter [or banner], jumping from the roof onto the snowbank"), in modern use it usually refers to a light-hearted form of wit. You would not be wrong to say that someone engages in “cruel banter,” if that is what is intended, but the word is far more often encountered in combination with modifiers such as witty, friendly, or lighthearted.

Examples of banter in a Sentence

Verb

the teacher bantered pleasantly, albeit a bit awkwardly, with the students at the school dance

Noun

I enjoyed hearing their good-natured banter. members of the Algonquin Round Table were known for their brilliant and witty banter

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

First came Amy Schumer’s use of the C-word while bantering with Jennifer Lawrence. — Vogue, "The Most Shocking Golden Globe Moments of All Time," 3 Jan. 2019 Stuart and his band showcased its country tunes while bantering with audience. — Ed Condran, Philly.com, "Hall & Oates' Hoagie Nation returns to Festival Pier for its second year," 27 May 2018 From across the red police tape, the young patrol officer in the street bantered with a group of mostly teenage boys and two girls in the park. — Hannah Leone, chicagotribune.com, "After Gage Park shooting, 'You're just a little young to be out here'," 24 June 2018 Both are constantly bouncing jokes off each other and bantering away the long hours. — Longreads, "Tennis vs. Tennis," 13 July 2018 Your professor holds forth in class, lecturing, orating, gesturing, bantering — equal parts pedagogue and performer. — Alfred Lubrano, Philly.com, "After complaints, Ratemyprofessors.com does away with its 'hotness' ratings," 11 July 2018 On a recent Friday afternoon, the crew at Station 31 bantered while eating lunch at the dining table. — Sarah Wu, The Seattle Times, "Is Station 31 making Seattle firefighters sick? Study hopes to find answers about ‘Cancer House’," 6 July 2018 Shortly after 5pm, German recording artist NoMBe, also a client of Udell's, bantered with the crowd while the soundmen worked out a few kinks. — Nicole Pajer, Billboard, "Winston House & 2332 Collective Make Sure West LA Music Scene Doesn't Fade Away," 2 July 2018 On the company's trading floor, men bantered about groping the Queen of England's genitals. — Anchorage Daily News, "Pregnancy discrimination is rampant inside America’s biggest companies," 16 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The flirty banter of this good-looking bouncer couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. — Chioma Nnadi, Vogue, "After 10 Years of Dating in New York, This Is What I’ve Learned," 11 Feb. 2019 With all the glittering banter of 1930s noir, this novel takes class, privilege, and identity theft and wraps them inside a murder mystery. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Return to an alternate history space race with two new Lady Astronaut novels," 18 Sep. 2018 People save voicemail in order to hear once again the voice of someone who has gone, or text exchanges, alive with banter and the mundane notes that make up a life. — Beth Teitell, BostonGlobe.com, "Phone contacts: Do you delete the deceased?," 9 July 2018 Buddy’s name is a mystery, as is his face, his true nature and any possible demons under the banter and the roles. — John Timpane, Philly.com, "Bryn Mawr alum wins prestigious Frost Farm poetry prize," 8 June 2018 Sitting Bull’s conversations with Catherine are a mix of cross-cultural banter and gradual, mutual understanding. — Justin Chang, latimes.com, "Jessica Chastain plays the artist who painted Sitting Bull in the inert history lesson 'Woman Walks Ahead'," 28 June 2018 However, the girlfriends' banter and comedic timing, specifically Bayer's, is more than worth watching. — Carly Mallenbaum, USA TODAY, "Netflix's 'Ibiza' should do for Vanessa Bayer what 'Girls Trip' did for Tiffany Haddish," 25 May 2018 The story also allows for banter between Liv and Annalise, another formidable black woman who becomes a friend of sorts. — Tanisha C. Ford, The Atlantic, "The Episode That Captured the Best and Worst of Scandal," 19 Apr. 2018 Comedian-actor-singer-writer Carol Burnett comes to Benaroya Hall Oct. 21, as part of a tour stop, for an evening of memories, video clips and banter with the audience. — Tom Keogh, The Seattle Times, "Carol Burnett comes to Seattle to banter, answer questions — and possibly do the Tarzan yell," 9 Oct. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'banter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.