banter

1 of 2

verb

ban·​ter ˈban-tər How to pronounce banter (audio)
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 noun
banteringly 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.

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
The metaphoric fourth wall is nowhere in sight, as the actor casually banters with audience members. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2024 This dichotomy will also feel familiar to fans of Night Country since Foster and Reis often banter about their different beliefs in God, religion and the paranormal. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 19 Feb. 2024 Earlier in the night, the song took the Best Pop Solo Performance category, which meant Cyrus scored her first-ever Grammy. Mark Ronson and his mother-in-law Meryl Streep presented the award, bantering back and forth about what the Record of the Year award really means. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 4 Feb. 2024 That coursework looks something like this: A 15-page intake form that helps Nobile assess clients’ level of self-love, four books to read including Signs by Laureline Jackson and The Four Agreements, and an eight-page document on everything from the art of bantering to core alignments. Hillary Hoffower, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2024 While Sherman and Stone easily bantered, the usually witty and loquacious Kahan stood stone-still, giving wooden readings of his couple of short lines. Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 25 Jan. 2024 They’re now united by having the same enemy, and spend the core of the film bantering on dry land, with Arthur trying to get a rise out of the uptight Orm. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 21 Dec. 2023 And the pair only got funnier rattling off the nominees and bantering back forth about video game music. Jada Yuan, Washington Post, 8 Jan. 2024 After the two bantered about opening the box, McCreery finally gave in and began to remove the gift wrap. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 4 Dec. 2023
Noun
To then be able to walk from his dorm to the diner behind the Westwood Drug Store, enter the back door that saved the freshman with a stutter from unnecessary banter with customers, and often find Jerry West made Hollis Johnson’s a safe zone for Walton as well. Scott Howard-Cooper., Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Bradshaw often narrates highlights from other games during halftime and after games, and banters with Menefee and the other hosts throughout the lead-in to the game itself. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 23 Feb. 2024 Players on each team had fun banter with the opposing crowd at points during the game. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 Garrett Mitchell and Haley Cruse Mitchell Quality couple banter? Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 12 Feb. 2024 Morphine is family, too, so she was raised around that circle of Miami, Florida-type of drag, and the banter in the back, things like that. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 16 Jan. 2024 The edited video captures a calm interaction that even included joking banter between Escondido police Officers Anthony Lay and Michael Statti and Douglas Quinn, 48, of Indiana in the minutes leading up to the exchange of gunfire Nov. 3. Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Feb. 2024 Other great reads Everyone on dating apps wants banter. Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times, 14 Feb. 2024 While there was plenty of banter among the responses, the overall tone also reflected a sense of hopelessness that appears to be common. Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'banter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of banter was in 1653

Dictionary Entries Near banter

Cite this Entry

“Banter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

banter

1 of 2 verb
ban·​ter ˈbant-ər How to pronounce banter (audio)
: to speak in a friendly but teasing or witty way
banterer noun
banteringly adverb

banter

2 of 2 noun
: good-natured teasing or joking

More from Merriam-Webster on banter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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