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banish

verb
ban·​ish | \ ˈba-nish How to pronounce banish (audio) \
banished; banishing; banishes

Definition of banish

transitive verb

1 : to require by authority to leave a country a dictator who banishes anyone who opposes him
2 : to drive out or remove from a home or place of usual resort or continuance He was banished from court. banishing her from the sport The reporters were banished to another room.
3 : to clear away : dispel his discovery banishes anxiety— Stringfellow Barr
Other Words from banish Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about banish

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Other Words from banish

banisher noun
banishment \ ˈba-​nish-​mÉ™nt How to pronounce banishment (audio) \ noun

Choose the Right Synonym for banish

banish, exile, deport, transport mean to remove by authority from a state or country. banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own. banished for seditious activities exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country. a writer who exiled himself for political reasons deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare. illegal aliens will be deported transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony. a convict who was transported to Australia

Examples of banish in a Sentence

He was banished for life. The dictator banished anyone who opposed him.

Recent Examples on the Web

 As a result, Marechera was effectively banished from public gatherings. — Tinashe Mushakavanhu, Quartz Africa, "The Zimbabwean writer who was Robert Mugabe’s nemesis," 7 Sep. 2019 Their only prominent liberalish proponent is Gwyneth Paltrow, whose web site, Goop, sells Nerd Alert, a signature stack that promises to banish brain fog. — Richard Cooke, The New Republic, "The conservative commentariat’s love affair with nootropics," 3 Sep. 2019 One mission was to banish the unhealthy image of esports players. — Ben Church And Patrick Sung, CNN, "The elite military veterans nurturing the new generation of professional gamers," 1 July 2019 Similarly, Rapunzel was banished and thrown out of the tower by her stepmother for having a premarital affair. — Rohini Kejriwal, Quartz India, "This Indian artist is retelling popular western fairy tales, minus the gender stereotypes," 14 June 2019 July could be an excellent time to use your extra energy and self-discipline to begin a diet or to banish a bad habit. — Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive.com, "Horoscope for June 8, 2019: Just relax, Aries; Virgo, get organized," 8 June 2019 So at his new Beverly Boulevard restaurant, Nic's, he's banished the word — along with any hippie-dippie aesthetics. — Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, "Nic Adler's New Restaurant Has One Rule: Don't Say "Vegan"," 23 Aug. 2019 Dozens try to vault the fences to join in the bacchanal, a few are banished in handcuffs, others are shuttled to hospitals for treatment. — Greg Kot, chicagotribune.com, "Lollapalooza review: A festival with a soul tries to peek out from a massive party," 5 Aug. 2019 That brought up Justin Bour, a slugger making his first major-league plate appearance since he was banished to the minor leagues a month earlier. — Jorge Castillo, latimes.com, "Dodgers lose Corey Seager and get swept by Angels," 12 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'banish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of banish

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for banish

Middle English, from Anglo-French baniss-, stem of banir, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German bannan to command — more at ban

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More Definitions for banish

banish

verb
How to pronounce banish (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of banish

: to force (someone) to leave a country as punishment
: to send (someone or something) away
: to cause (something) to go away : to get rid of (something)

See the full definition for banish in the English Language Learners Dictionary

banish

verb
ban·​ish | \ ˈba-nish How to pronounce banish (audio) \
banished; banishing

Kids Definition of banish

1 : to force to leave a country
2 : to cause to go away banish fears

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More from Merriam-Webster on banish

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with banish

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for banish

Spanish Central: Translation of banish

Nglish: Translation of banish for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of banish for Arabic Speakers

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