banter

verb ban·ter \ ˈban-tər \

Definition of banter

transitive verb

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.

—

banterer

play \-tər-ər\ noun

—

banteringly

play \ˈban-tə-riŋ-lē\ adverb

See banter defined for kids

Examples of banter in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of banter from the Web

In 2013, his first full year as co-owner of the Dodgers, while bantering with reporters before the first game of the playoffs.

— bill shaikin, latimes.com, "Magic Johnson investigated for tampering? Paul George, meet Robinson Cano," 23 Aug. 2017
That led to Saban lighting the fuse at the 1:20 mark of the below video: Nick Saban banters with reporters following practice Wednesday Not quite a peel-the-paint off-the-wall rant, but then Saban's not in mid-season meltdown form yet.

— ron higgins, NOLA.com, "If Nick Saban is testy, the start of football season is near: Watch," 17 Aug. 2017
Nick Saban banters with reporters following practice Wednesday here are times Nick Saban lights into a reporter.

— michael casagrande, AL.com, "Nick Saban left smiling after spirited exchanges with media," 16 Aug. 2017
Bantered off in the 89th minute by Obafemi Martins and Barry Ferguson.

— SI.com, "Arsenal Fan's Twitter Thread Charting the Club's 'Banter Era' Goes Viral," 13 Aug. 2017
Instead, viewers tune in to Mendoza bantering with her co-hosts Aaron Boone and Karl Ravech (regular co-host Dan Shulman is off this day).

— britni de la cretaz, Teen Vogue, "How Jessica Mendoza Became ESPN's First Female MLB Analyst," 10 July 2017
Several of the white and black performers banter easily and unselfconsciously about their friendships.

— stephen farber, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Living on Soul': Film Review | LAFF 2017," 24 June 2017
The two biggest names bantered about of late have been Chicago’s Jimmy Butler and Indiana’s Paul George.

— bob cooney, Philly.com, "Tracking the latest NBA trade rumors," 20 June 2017
On a recent visit, the school looked like a relaxed comprehensive public high school: Students lounged in the hallway eating ice cream cones or bantered with their chemistry teacher.

— erica l. green, New York Times, "To Understand Betsy DeVos’s Educational Views, View Her Education," 10 June 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of banter

of obscure origin

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1653

See Words from the same year

banter Synonyms

Synonyms

joke, chaff, fool, fun, gag, jape, jest, jive, jolly, josh, kid, quip, wisecrack, yuk (or yuck) [slang]

Related Words

gibe (or jibe), haze, jeer, mock, rag, rally, razz, rib, ridicule, tease; caricature, lampoon, parody, satirize; amuse, divert, entertain

banter

noun

Definition of banter

:good-natured and usually witty and animated joking

listening to their lively banter

See banter defined for English-language learners

Examples of banter in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of banter from the Web

PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages The former England striker has continued with this reputation following a series of hilarious tweets, putting him head and shoulders above the majority of professional footballers banter and was back at it again on Tuesday.

— SI.com, "Peter Crouch Responds on Twitter Following News of FIFA Street's Re-Release," 23 Aug. 2017
Watch the banter, complete with those reality TV staples, side interviews, below:

— lilian min, Cosmopolitan, "The Jersey Shore Cast Is Totally Cool With Making Fun of Each Other for Past Hook-Ups," 18 Aug. 2017
Paisley sees a natural connection between comedy and country music, from the songs to the stage banter.

— john carucci, idahostatesman, "Paisley hopes to land punchlines with first comedy special," 11 Aug. 2017
The rapid growth and vast bounty of zucchini garnered from gardens has long been legendary fodder and banter for folks in every field.

— philip potempa, Post-Tribune, "Time for TV celebration of National Zucchini Day," 4 Aug. 2017
In the clip, Spencer and Marco have some pretty flirty banter over a plate of pasta.

— hannah orenstein, Seventeen, "This Never-Before-Seen "Pretty Little Liars" Clip Will Make You Question Spencer and Toby's Chemistry," 25 July 2017
Bystanders joked at first with the bar patrons in custody, but the banter turned angry, and the crowd got rowdy.

— bill mcgraw, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit '67: 'We've got trouble' — Routine police raid ignites 5 days of rioting," 22 July 2017
By this time, the Twittersphere nearly collapsed under the weight of comments and threads from users following the pair’s back and forth banter.

— joelle goldstein, PEOPLE.com, "Jedi Jabs & Mixing Bowls of Gin: Patton Oswalt & Meredith Salenger Continue 'Cringe-dorable' Twitter Fighting," 20 July 2017
HGTV’s famous Property Brothers come to Sacramento for a live stage show, filled with their fun videos, snappy banter and home renovation know-how.

— debbie arrington, sacbee, "Home gardeners can learn plenty at State Fair," 16 July 2017

Can banter be vicious?

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.

Origin and Etymology of banter

noun derivative of ¹banter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1688

See Words from the same year

banter Synonyms

Synonyms

backchat, badinage, chaff, give-and-take, jesting, joshing, persiflage, raillery, repartee

BANTER Defined for English Language Learners

banter

noun

Definition of banter for English Language Learners

: talk in which people make jokes about each other in a friendly way

BANTER Defined for Kids

banter

noun ban·ter \ ˈban-tər \

Definition of banter for Students

:good-natured teasing and joking

banter

verb

Definition of banter for Students

bantered; bantering

:to tease or joke with in a friendly way

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banterer

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banter

Definition of banter

Examples of banter in a Sentence

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Can banter be vicious?

Origin and Etymology of banter

banter Synonyms

Synonyms

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BANTER Defined for English Language Learners

banter

Definition of banter for English Language Learners

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