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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of banter
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Foodie Boyz are creating a following among younger listeners because of their banter and camaraderie.
—Stephanie Ganz, Parents, 3 Nov. 2025
Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 17 Sep. 2025
No, Tony and Ziva are not officially together, giving them room to banter again.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banter
Noun
Xi’s and Lee’s banter coincided with hints of warming relations between the two Asian nations.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 3 Nov. 2025
Foodie Boyz are creating a following among younger listeners because of their banter and camaraderie.
—Stephanie Ganz, Parents, 3 Nov. 2025
Verb
Eric Thayer / Getty Images Kirk, 31, a popular but polarizing podcast host and conservative activist who had been one of President Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters, was bantering with students when he was fatally shot from a rooftop about two football fields away.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 17 Sep. 2025
No, Tony and Ziva are not officially together, giving them room to banter again.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for banter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banter
Noun
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The comedy is a tonal mess, veering between underdeveloped jokes and unearned sentiment.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Nov. 2025
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How did Joy nearly die in the wilderness of Colorado, a place that, in a joke the film keeps repeating, is almost all white people?—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The Spartans got the last laugh for now, too, taking both games.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Katz said, feigning familiarity with the leader’s influence and drawing laughs from the audience.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The action flows, the badinage is fast and fun.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
28 Aug. 2025
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Each bus has a pair of hosts, whose badinage is corny but crowd-pleasing.—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
Noun
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How did Betty manage the scenes with Ophelia, with their bawdy repartee?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
-
No one is better built than Leavy, a crafty veteran sportswriter, for between-innings repartee, wry asides, and tossed-off ideas for improving her beloved sport—and maybe even keeping its ever-looming obsolescence at bay for another decade or three.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His keen playful writing combines magical realism, genre-busting humor, literary zip—and there are few people better suited to adapting Wilder than Ethan Lipton.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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With Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby leading the way, the sci-fi/disaster flick is full of humor, heart and high stakes, plus Julia Garner's Silver Surfer is a joy to behold riding all those good vibes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Famed for launching Downton Abbey, the network has been courting sale interest for well over a year, but for all the industry chatter and press speculation, ITV’s silence has been stony.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
8 Nov. 2025
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In the case of Copeland, has noted that his name has not even been brought up within WWE, even with the online chatter.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 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 15 Nov. 2025.
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