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Synonyms

banter

American  
[ban-ter] / ˈbæn tər /

noun

  1. an exchange of light, playful, teasing remarks; good-natured raillery.

    Synonyms:
    persiflage, pleasantry, badinage

verb (used with object)

  1. to address with banter; chaff.

    Synonyms:
    mock, deride, ridicule, twit, tease

verb (used without object)

  1. to use banter.

banter British  
/ ˈbæntə /

verb

  1. to speak to or tease lightly or jokingly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. light, teasing, or joking language or repartee

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • banterer noun
  • banteringly adverb
  • outbanter verb (used with object)
  • unbantering adjective
  • unbanteringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of banter

First recorded in 1660–70; origin uncertain

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.