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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of banter
Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchfork, 27 Apr. 2026
Romance, creative expression or pleasure takes an exciting turn today, as in flirty banter, artistic inspiration or a spontaneous date night with your crush.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Its sprawling dining hall brought in countless families, partiers, dates and football fans who wanted to banter over fries, salads and sandwiches and watch the world pass by on the other side of the glass.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banter
Noun
There’s less pre-song banter, and the crowd noise becomes just more noise.
—Stephen M. Deusner, Pitchfork, 27 Apr. 2026
Romance, creative expression or pleasure takes an exciting turn today, as in flirty banter, artistic inspiration or a spontaneous date night with your crush.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
Siwa and Hughes playfully bantered about a potential engagement ahead of spending their first Christmas together.
—Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Its sprawling dining hall brought in countless families, partiers, dates and football fans who wanted to banter over fries, salads and sandwiches and watch the world pass by on the other side of the glass.
—Miguel Otárola, Denver Post, 30 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banter
Noun
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As the Ado Annie-like Betsy, a horny teen-ager whose father owns a shotgun, Kurtz is playing a character who should be, and kind of is, a one-joke punch line.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
30 Apr. 2026
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Complaints about hospital food are certainly not new, and Jell-O and fruit juice are often the butt of related jokes.—
Stephanie Armour,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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McDaniels, who cut through the Nuggets’ egos early in the series with fearless words and a smug grin, got the last laugh.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
1 May 2026
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Her laugh was loud and heartfelt.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
Noun
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Left on their own, boisterous badinage between old school British thespian Shaw and giggly, hyper-ventilating wannabe movie star Dreyfuss has taken hold.—
Christopher Smith,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
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The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Finally, in overcoming this vexing moment, the two would establish a painterly repartee that altered the trajectory of their own work and, by extension, modern art.—
Susan Tallman,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
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Lindsay-Abaire’s multidirectional repartee gets added zip from the first-rate cast, especially Margaret Colin as the unapologetically blunt Ruth.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
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Any amount of singing or jesting will be heard by all.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
24 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The humor only grows more erratic and unpleasant from there.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
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But then, the 2016 national party conventions gave Colbert the opportunity to push hard on political humor.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Insider Ian Rapoport will update those three with league chatter and trade buzz.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Their laughs and chatter fill the countryside and one another’s hearts, the merriment binding them all together like caterpillars in one big cocoon.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Banter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banter. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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