What does "backchat" mean?

Cheeky or impertinent responses, especially to criticism.

What is a synonym for "backchat"?

Common synonyms include: acknowledgment, answer back, antiphon, back talk, backtalk, backtalk.

Pronounced //ˈbæk.t͡ʃæt//.

//ˈbæk.t͡ʃæt// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Cheeky or impertinent responses, especially to criticism. British, countable, uncountable
"Old Pete would have had some smart gay backchat to deal with an awkward moment like this."
2
light teasing repartee wordnet

Verb

1
To respond in a disputative, often sarcastic manner.
"Peter was sent to detention for backchatting the teacher."

"Old Pete would have had some smart gay backchat to deal with an awkward moment like this."

From back + chat.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.