as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
the gently bantering tone of the couple's conversation
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in jesting
to make jokes
the teacher bantered pleasantly, albeit a bit awkwardly, with the students at the school dance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of bantering
Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
And even in his very brief run as Ghostface, Jason does solid work, bantering with his victim about slashers in a convo that would make Carol Clover proud and delivering one of the series’ more creative kills by luring Laura (Samara Weaving) into an alley as her dating-app match.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
One can leave the sauna to cool off and return, continuing the cycle and enjoying the quiet or bantering with fellow sauna-goers.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 2 Feb. 2026
More time is spent with the characters in locker rooms and on benches with players bantering in a vernacular that Tierney is determined to emphasize blurs the line between homosocial and homosexual.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 Nov. 2025
Just as Bayazid rose to become tentatively welcome in the shopkeeper’s home, so the shopkeeper rose to a limited bantering acquaintance with his wealthy customers.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Instead, criticism comes to feel just like bantering at a bar.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Miles also enjoyed bantering with the crowd during the Virginia game.
—Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026
And even in his very brief run as Ghostface, Jason does solid work, bantering with his victim about slashers in a convo that would make Carol Clover proud and delivering one of the series’ more creative kills by luring Laura (Samara Weaving) into an alley as her dating-app match.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
One can leave the sauna to cool off and return, continuing the cycle and enjoying the quiet or bantering with fellow sauna-goers.
—Bridget Fogarty, jsonline.com, 2 Feb. 2026
More time is spent with the characters in locker rooms and on benches with players bantering in a vernacular that Tierney is determined to emphasize blurs the line between homosocial and homosexual.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 26 Nov. 2025
Just as Bayazid rose to become tentatively welcome in the shopkeeper’s home, so the shopkeeper rose to a limited bantering acquaintance with his wealthy customers.
—Cressida Leyshon, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025
Instead, criticism comes to feel just like bantering at a bar.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bantering
Verb
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Comedian Charlie Berens also popularized the ritual, joking that it can be broken down into recognizable steps.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
29 Mar. 2026
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Over the radio, Bing Crosby is crooning, Bob Hope is joking, and news of the war — against Hitler, against Japan — keeps sizzling and crackling across the dial.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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James then scrunched his face into a sarcastic, close-eyed smile.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Mar. 2026
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Brendon was a fan favorite among the cast for his loyalty to his friends and sarcastic sense of humor.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bantering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bantering. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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