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
Relevance
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
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of banter
Lily Moayeri, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
This banter was much in evidence as her debut novel, Hot Desk, came into being.
—Literary Hub
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 3 July 2025
Scaramucci, who has a near-photographic memory, banters easily with guests and hotel staff alike.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for banter
Noun
The show hit another peak after a mid-set lull, which Liam valiantly tried to shake off with stories, jokes, and playful crowd banter — a side of him more familiar offstage than on.
—Lily Moayeri, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025
This banter was much in evidence as her debut novel, Hot Desk, came into being.
—Literary Hub
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
In the movie, the two men punch, blast and banter their way through danger in Eastern Europe with the help of an MI6 agent played by Priyanka Chopra Jones.
—Julie Hinds, Freep.com, 3 July 2025
Scaramucci, who has a near-photographic memory, banters easily with guests and hotel staff alike.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for banter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banter
Noun
-
Though the movie is accessible to new fans, there are plenty of winks and nods for diehards who can understand what might seem, to the uninitiated, like cheesy moments—a cringeworthy English rap verse, a scene parodying the product placement in K-dramas—as self-aware jokes.—
Yvonne Kim,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
-
That means having to cut jokes that don't fit his do-no-harm MO.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
What captured millions of TikTok users' hearts was the pure joy that can be heard in her son’s laughs as her husband shields him from the rain.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The ratio of laughs to drama changes quite sharply, however, as Joan takes her hostages off on their journey, leading to a bond with Tyler and a lot of unexpected revelations about Joan’s background.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
-
At one point, O’Steen was confused by a question, and the resulting back-and-forth was reminiscent of an Abbott and Costello repartee.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Sep. 2025
-
But mainly the kids banter in pig Latin or in a screwball repartee fashioned from overheard adult speech.—
Dan Chiasson,
New Yorker,
4 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The film’s humor doesn’t necessarily translate, and the animation style doesn’t come close to the medium’s most artistic work.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The humor barely masks his fear.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
My senses sharpened, my breath slowed, and the chatter in my head went quiet.—
Daniel Scheffler,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
After plenty of chatter, Thug is attempting to finally control his narrative and the reclamation of the Atlanta rapper is on.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
With time, their caustic raillery transforms into sincere attachment.—
Charlie Tyson,
The Atlantic,
13 May 2021
-
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
-
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
-
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 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share