as in joke
good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks
members of the Algonquin Round Table were known for their brilliant and witty banter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to joke
to make jokes
the teacher bantered pleasantly, albeit a bit awkwardly, with the students at the school dance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of banter
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
Despite the banter, almost every battle would end with the competitors hugging in support and respect for their opponent.
—Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2025
New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Only five days into rehearsals and surrounded by artfully cluttered ’80s office furniture, the actors gathered around a fake restaurant booth and bantered in a way Mamet himself could have scripted.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banter
Noun
The barbed banter is enough to have drawn Bob Odenkirk, Kieran Culkin, and Bill Burr onto the boards, though Patrick Marber’s production does little to distinguish or justify itself as a piece of live theater.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 1 Apr. 2025
Despite the banter, almost every battle would end with the competitors hugging in support and respect for their opponent.
—Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 31 Mar. 2025
Verb
Riding in a cab afterward, my father and the cabdriver were bantering when my father’s colleague interjected jokingly.
—New York Times, 16 Feb. 2025
Only five days into rehearsals and surrounded by artfully cluttered ’80s office furniture, the actors gathered around a fake restaurant booth and bantered in a way Mamet himself could have scripted.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banter
Noun
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Trump sued Maher in 2013 for $5 million after the comedian made a crass joke about his mother and an orangutan.—
Steff Danielle Thomas,
The Hill,
19 Apr. 2025
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Andrews adds musical interludes, which don’t always work, and brutal jokes, which do.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That sort of showboating elicits laughs from TV audiences, partly because today's younger shoppers are spending less on pricey goods and more on luxury experiences.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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Sharing good laughs goes a long way to strengthening connections and relationships.—
Liz Guthridge,
Forbes.com,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In The Kitchen, Wesker tracked the decorum from friendly badinage to hostile vernacular that co-workers sustain just to get through the day.—
Armond White,
National Review,
30 Oct. 2024
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While Hawley hasn’t left behind any of his signature philosophical dialogue or memorable badinage, Season 5 is also the most reliant on the camera to make its points.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
13 Aug. 2024
Noun
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Most voters are worried about high prices for food, energy and housing, rather than their leader’s Oval Office repartee.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
30 Mar. 2025
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For all his entertaining repartee, Hedges is keenly aware of when to lock in.—
Ken Rosenthal,
The Athletic,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Instead of shaping stories that convince, craft absorbing narratives that evoke raw emotion—humor, suspense, passion, disgust and even fear.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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Like a Dickensian Andy Capp, Johnson is an uber-charming rogue, an everyman bluesy belter whose winking humor with a hint of the scoundrel are not entirely unlike Scott’s demeanor, though each man’s vocals, inflection and stage presence are/were clearly their own.—
Katherine Turman,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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It's aimed towards trucks and sport utilities, whose designs usually include all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, and whose chassis are more vulnerable to wheel chatter and heavier loads.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Apr. 2025
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Panthers: Jalon Walker, LB, Georgia AS: There’s been a lot of chatter about where Walker should play at the NFL level.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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With time, their caustic raillery transforms into sincere attachment.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2021
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French’s evocation of place, a rural way of life and overall creepiness are superb, as is the dialogue, a festival of Irish raillery and repartee.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
14 Oct. 2020
Noun
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None of this will keep Republicans and conservatives from attacking the reconciliation bill with smoke, mirrors and persiflage.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Aug. 2022
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As Nixon’s political strategist, Kevin Phillips, told the New York Times in 1970: All the talk about Republicans making inroads into the Negro vote is persiflage.—
Jane Coaston,
Vox,
12 Oct. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Banter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banter. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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