What it means
Short for banter. It’s that playful back-and-forth rinsing between mates where everyone’s chatting spicy, but nobody’s actually beefing. “Good bants” means the jokes landed and everyone’s creasing, “dead bants” means it’s fallen flat and you should probably pattern up and change the subject. You’ll hear it in group chats, pubs, and on the road.
Usage examples
"Man said my roast was giving microwave sadness. I told him his trim looks like a kebab shop logo. Proper good bants, innit, now pass the gravy."
"The lads at the office are pure bants, lunch break feels like a stand-up gig some days."
"Last night was solid bants, even the new girl was creasing by the end of it."
"Group chat was pure bants last night, had me laughing at my phone like a complete donut."
"Don't get moody, I'm only saying your trainers look borrowed from a Year 8. It's just bants."
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Where it comes from
Short for banter, with that clipped British shape that turns a normal word into something more cheeky and matey. Bants really blew up in UK speech in the late 2000s and 2010s, especially in uni circles, lad chat, group texts, and reality telly, where it became shorthand for playful piss-taking.
Other ways to say it
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