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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.
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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
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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).
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Several of the white and black performers banter easily and unselfconsciously about their friendships.
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The two biggest names bantered about of late have been Chicago’s Jimmy Butler and Indiana’s Paul George.
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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.
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Rodríguez has bantered with Conan O’Brien on television and been profiled by The New York Times.
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Happily, Gadot holds her own with exceptional poise and gusto, whether bantering with Pine or charging into a nest of German sniper fire.
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Before the new arrangement, the bartenders had to monitor the video-poker activity while also concocting cocktails, ringing up tabs and bantering with customers.
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The trolling only seemed to increase later in the day, when the foreign ministry released images of Lavrov, and Russia’s ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, bantering with Trump in the Oval Office.
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
banter
Definition of banter
: good-natured and usually witty and animated joking listening to their lively banter
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
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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.
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Perfect road trip: The friendly banter will liven up the flattest parts of the Midwest.
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Asked for clarification on this matter Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer insisted this was just another bona fide example of Trumpian banter.
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Some back and forth a little bit, some playful banter.
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Season seven premiere, twelve new bakers sift, mix and ice their hearts out in the first episode featuring cake, with Mel and Sue in their final season of providing the show’s banter.
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There was none of the casual banter that usually filled the air on such missions; just silence.
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Last year's PC Gaming Show was a veritable laundry list of games large and small coming to the PC, complete with a lot of awkward banter with developers up on stage.
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The role demands that Cruise be a rakish, lady-killing bounty hunter, but also perform a kind of befuddled banter with buddy Vail and love interest Jenny.
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.
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
BANTER Defined for English Language Learners
banter
Definition of banter for English Language Learners
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: talk in which people make jokes about each other in a friendly way
BANTER Defined for Kids
Definition of banter for Students
: good-natured teasing and joking
Definition of banter for Students
bantered
;bantering
: to tease or joke with in a friendly way
Learn More about banter
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See words that rhyme with banter Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for banter Spanish Central: Translation of banter Nglish: Translation of banter for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of banter for Arabic speakers
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