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
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 June 2026
In turbulent times, there was something soothing about seeing Lineker back on a couch, beaming at us from ITV’s Brooklyn set, bantering with presenter Laura Woods and the panel (including former BBC pal Ian Wright) just like old times.
—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
21 June 2026
The two were bantering back and forth with smiles on their faces before continuing on their separate ways.
—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
14 June 2026
All the usual fun Indy stuff is here – Nazis, treasured artifacts – though the bantering chemistry between Ford's hard-luck hero and Sean Connery as his grumpy dad is off-the-hook spectacular.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Family picnics ended in drownings; tender, bantering dates at Applebee’s concluded with car accidents.
—
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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
Verb
Bledel won an Emmy for her performance, but she’ll probably always be best known as Rory on Gilmore Girls, bantering with Lauren Graham for seven beloved seasons and a Netflix revival.
—
Louis Peitzman,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 June 2026
In turbulent times, there was something soothing about seeing Lineker back on a couch, beaming at us from ITV’s Brooklyn set, bantering with presenter Laura Woods and the panel (including former BBC pal Ian Wright) just like old times.
—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
21 June 2026
The two were bantering back and forth with smiles on their faces before continuing on their separate ways.
—
Antonio Ferme,
Variety,
14 June 2026
All the usual fun Indy stuff is here – Nazis, treasured artifacts – though the bantering chemistry between Ford's hard-luck hero and Sean Connery as his grumpy dad is off-the-hook spectacular.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
Family picnics ended in drownings; tender, bantering dates at Applebee’s concluded with car accidents.
—
Literary Hub,
10 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bantering
Adjective
-
This is taken as evidence of his status, not a sarcastic criticism.
-
On Monday night, Contreras was ejected in the second inning after a check-swing strikeout prompted him to give a sarcastic ABS challenge gesture at the umpire, earning an instant boot.
Verb
-
Following the convincing 3-0 victory over Czechia while resting some starters, the atmosphere on the Mexican team has been very relaxed, with several videos showing the players joking around with each other.
-
There were quips and laughs during the postgame news conference, but Skubal’s overall tone was hardly joking.
Cite this Entry
“Bantering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bantering. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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