Thesaurus results for BANTERING

bantering 1 of 2

adjective

as in joking

marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing the gently bantering tone of the couple's conversation

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bantering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of banter

as in jesting

to make jokes the teacher bantered pleasantly, albeit a bit awkwardly, with the students at the school dance

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of bantering

Verb

Meanwhile, Johnson reprises his role as Moana's bantering reluctant partner, the shapeshifting trickster demigod Maui, alongside Jemaine Clement again voicing the conceited giant crustacean Tamatoa. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 9 July 2026 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 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

The department’s post drew skeptical and sarcastic reactions from commenters who wondered whether the missing $30 called for a public search.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Our second president, John Adams, was said to have had a sarcastic demeanor and made biting remarks about his contemporaries.

— John Blumenthal, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of sarcastic

Verb

To this day, Ryan still isn’t sure if Hanks was being serious or joking.

— Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
The beverage brands Liquid Death and Garage Beer teamed up to create the ad, which features former NFL player Jason Kelce joking about using people’s pee to cool the AI data centers.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of joking

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“Bantering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bantering. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bantering

adjective

verb

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