Banter vs. Jest

Banternoun

Good-humoured, playful, typically spontaneous conversation.

Jestnoun

(archaic) An act performed for amusement; a joke.

Banterverb

(intransitive) To engage in banter or playful conversation.

Jestnoun

(archaic) Someone or something that is ridiculed; the target of a joke.

‘Your majesty, stop him before he makes you the jest of the court.’;

Banterverb

(intransitive) To play or do something amusing.

Jestnoun

(obsolete) A deed; an action; a gest.

Banterverb

(transitive) To tease (someone) mildly.

Jestnoun

(obsolete) A mask; a pageant; an interlude.

Banterverb

(transitive) To joke about; to ridicule (a trait, habit, etc.).

Jestverb

To tell a joke; to talk in a playful manner; to make fun of something or someone.

‘Surely you jest!’;

Banterverb

(transitive) To delude or trick; to play a prank upon.

Jestadverb

alternative spelling of just

Banterverb

To challenge to a match.

Jestnoun

A deed; an action; a gest.

‘The jests or actions of princes.’;

Banterverb

To address playful good-natured ridicule to, - the person addressed, or something pertaining to him, being the subject of the jesting; to rally; as, he bantered me about my credulity.

‘Hag-ridden by my own fancy all night, and then bantered on my haggard looks the next day.’;

Jestnoun

A mask; a pageant; an interlude.

‘He promised us, in honor of our guest,To grace our banquet with some pompous jest.’;

Banterverb

To jest about; to ridicule in speaking of, as some trait, habit, characteristic, and the like.

‘If they banter your regularity, order, and love of study, banter in return their neglect of them.’;

Jestnoun

Something done or said in order to amuse; a joke; a witticism; a jocose or sportive remark or phrase. See Synonyms under Jest, v. i.

‘I must be sad . . . smile at no man's jests.’; ‘The Right Honorable gentleman is indebted to his memory for his jests, and to his imagination for his facts.’;

Banterverb

To delude or trick, - esp. by way of jest.

‘We diverted ourselves with bantering several poor scholars with hopes of being at least his lordship's chaplain.’;

Jestnoun

The object of laughter or sport; a laughingstock.

‘Then let me be your jest; I deserve it.’; ‘And given in earnest what I begged in jest.’;

Banterverb

To challenge or defy to a match.

Jestverb

To take part in a merrymaking; - especially, to act in a mask or interlude.

Banternoun

The act of bantering; joking or jesting; humorous or good-humored raillery; pleasantry.

‘Part banter, part affection.’;

Jestverb

To make merriment by words or actions; to joke; to make light of anything.

‘He jests at scars that never felt a wound.’;

Banternoun

light teasing repartee

Jestnoun

a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter;

‘he told a very funny joke’; ‘he knows a million gags’; ‘thanks for the laugh’; ‘he laughed unpleasantly at hisown jest’; ‘even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point’;

Banterverb

be silly or tease one another;

‘After we relaxed, we just kidded around’;

Jestnoun

activity characterized by good humor

Banternoun

the playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks

‘there was much good-natured banter’;

Jestverb

tell a joke; speak humorously;

‘He often jokes even when he appears serious’;

Banterverb

exchange remarks in a good-humoured teasing way

‘the men bantered with the waitresses’;

Jestverb

act in a funny or teasing way

Jestnoun

a thing said or done for amusement; a joke

‘he laughed uproariously at his own jest’; ‘it was said in jest’;

Jestnoun

an object of derision

‘lowly virtue is the jest of fools’;

Jestverb

speak in a joking way

‘you jest, surely?’;