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
Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025
The movie was reportedly improvised heavily, and the scenes where the actors just relax with each other and banter are charming and compelling.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024
McLaurin and Osborn sat on their stools and talked, muting out player interviews and teammates bantering about the College Football Playoff and Bronny James.
—Ben Standig, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for banter 
Noun
Bini, whose jocular banter is only upended by his ability to carefully listen and practically intervene, helps people struggling with fertility as well as with their gender transition.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 31 Jan. 2025
The movie was reportedly improvised heavily, and the scenes where the actors just relax with each other and banter are charming and compelling.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 24 Jan. 2025
Verb
The movie's a big miss, but Johnson's modern version of the old David Hasselhoff beach cop gets some good lines and banters mightily with Zac Efron while carrying fridges.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024
McLaurin and Osborn sat on their stools and talked, muting out player interviews and teammates bantering about the College Football Playoff and Bronny James.
—Ben Standig, The Athletic, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for banter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banter
Noun
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While the bit was planned, some questioned whether she had been let in on the joke.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
17 Feb. 2025
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Sunday night's show packed five decades of memories, references, music, and jokes into a three-hour program that was high on emotion, heart, and laughs.—
Melissa Locker,
TIME,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The middle-school laughs made Isaiah Stewart feel uneasy.—
Hunter Patterson,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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The biggest laughs were earned by Murphy, who did an impression of Morgan, while Morgan played a man named Darius and Jones played a woman named Shanice.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
17 Feb. 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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Ally and Jay are both sarcastic, too — their best lines are muttered under their breaths — and their repartee becomes more interesting than the bloody theatrics.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2025
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Arriving 28 years after Twister swirled rom-com repartee with disaster-flick chaos to create one of the 1990s’ most rewatchable hits, Twisters’ development began in earnest in 2020.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
26 July 2024
Noun
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No power plays, no sabotage, just Toula (Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) navigating cultural clashes with charm and humor.—
Janey Tracey,
EW.com,
7 Feb. 2025
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Both options offer age-appropriate humor and engaging storylines.—
Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal,
Parents,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
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When the crowd broke into chatter and shocked reactions, Gomez hung her head.—
Kaitlyn Huamani,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2025
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In Lorne Michaels’ world, a little loose chatter goes a long way.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
10 Feb. 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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The ribbing kicked off Saturday with this tweet on X — seen 11 million times as of Sunday morning — from Joshua Bessex, a photojournalist for The Buffalo News.—
Lisa Gutierrez,
Kansas City Star,
26 Jan. 2025
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The material is 70 percent cotton with cozy ribbing and a bit of stretch.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
17 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near banter
Cite this Entry
“Banter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banter. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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