banter
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of banter
First recorded in 1660–70; origin uncertain
Explanation
Good friends usually banter back and forth easily, like they're trying to keep a step ahead of each other in witty responses. This type of banter is their special language of friendship. Banter is both a noun and a verb about talking. It comes from unknown origins, but even as a word, it seems to be playful and teasing. You can engage in banter with friends, siblings, parents, and even good-natured strangers. Banter usually ends with everyone feeling better for the talk and verbal play. Joking, joshing, and teasing are all related to banter.
Vocabulary lists containing banter
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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I Am Malala
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The Hunger Games
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But with a dose of Kiwi banter and the ability to laugh at themselves, the mistakes only made the show funnier and a reminder of why we’ve missed them.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
The topics and banter among speakers at the Sohn conference, which raises money for pediatric cancer research, offered a glimpse at what is on the minds of top hedge fund managers.
From Barron's • May 13, 2026
Listening to the two friends banter back and forth like the “Odd Couple” of jazz, it is very clear why.
From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026
The discourse is civil and the banter is friendly on this humid, overcast morning before Trump's visit, but such across-the-aisle political discussions are few and far between, residents say.
From BBC • May 1, 2026
It was thus that the other potters, their apprentices, and some of the villagers spoke of Min—usually in jest, but sometimes with derision just below the thin layer of banter in their voices.
From "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
