banter

1 of 2

verb

ban·​ter ˈban-tər 

bantered; bantering; banters

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

ˈban-tər-ər 

noun

banteringly

ˈban-tə-riŋ-lē 

adverb

banter

2 of 2

noun

: good-natured and usually witty and animated joking

listening to their lively banter

Did you know?

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.

Synonyms of banter

Verb

• joke
• fun

Noun

• joke
• laugh
• badinage
• repartee
• jesting
• humor
• chatter
• raillery
• persiflage
• ribbing
• humorousness
• give-and-take
• joshing
• chaff

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

And even in his very brief run as Ghostface, Jason does solid work, bantering with his victim about slashers in a convo that would make Carol Clover proud and delivering one of the series’ more creative kills by luring Laura (Samara Weaving) into an alley as her dating-app match. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026

One can leave the sauna to cool off and return, continuing the cycle and enjoying the quiet or bantering with fellow sauna-goers. —Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 2 Feb. 2026

Noun

Saura had a large sense of the humor, which struck those who got to know him, belying the sternness of his public visage with his playful banter and frequent chuckle. —John Hopewell, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026

Expect high-energy traditional tunes, lively banter and an audience that refuses to sit still. —Brianne Pfannenstiel, Des Moines Register, 4 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

of obscure origin

Noun

noun derivative of banter entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

1653, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1660, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for banter

• canter
• cantor
• chanter
• granter
• grantor
• plantar
• planter
• tranter
• decanter
• enchanter
• trochanter

Kids Definition

banter

1 of 2 verb

ban·​ter ˈbant-ər 

: to speak in a friendly but teasing or witty way

banterer

-ər-ər 

noun

banteringly

ˈbant-ə-riŋ-lē 

adverb

banter

2 of 2 noun

: good-natured teasing or joking