banter

Noun

light teasing repartee
Sharp, good-humoured, playful, typically spontaneous conversation.
Good-humoured bits of monologue and/or conversational prompts used in any of a wide range of occupations that must frequently interact with the public (for example, store clerks, salespersons, nurses).

Verb

Verb Forms: bantered, bantering, banters

To exchange playful and teasing remarks with others.
be silly or tease one another
To engage in banter or playful conversation.
To play or do something amusing.
To tease (someone) mildly.
To joke about; to ridicule (a trait, habit, etc.).
To delude or trick; to play a prank upon.
To challenge to a match.
To haggle; cheapen the price.

Examples

We banter over the Words with Friends chat while plotting our next moves.

Origin / Etymology

1670s as verb, 1680s as noun. The origin is unknown, possibly from London street slang; ostensibly as *bant + -er (frequentative suffix). Possibly an Anglo-Gaelicism from the Irish bean (“woman”), so that "banter" means "talk of women."

Synonyms

backchat, chaff, give-and-take, jolly, josh, kid, raillery, pleasantry, wind up

Scrabble Score: 8

banter: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
banter: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
banter: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

banter: valid Words With Friends Word