banana

noun

ba·​nana bə-ˈna-nə 

 especially British  -ˈnä-

1

: an elongated usually tapering tropical fruit with soft pulpy flesh enclosed in a soft usually yellow rind

a bunch of bananas

slipped on a banana peel

2

: any of several widely cultivated perennial often treelike herbs (genus Musa of the family Musaceae, the banana family) bearing bananas in compact pendent bunches

Illustration of banana

• banana 2

Examples of banana in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One banana has about 400 milligrams of potassium, said Alexandra Rosenstock, RD, CDN, a dietitian at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian, told Verywell. —Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 18 July 2025

On the other hand, bananas are sweeter and usually are eaten raw. —Hannah Yasharoff, USA Today, 18 July 2025

Small wooden boats had come across the Caribbean Sea from Venezuela to sell their tropical bounty: avocados, bananas, guava, kiwi, mangoes, melons and Jalapeño peppers. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 18 July 2025

Sporting a new look brought to life in high fidelity graphics, Donkey Kong appears powerful — majestic, even — but quickly sheds the veneer for a goofy smile and banana icons in his eyes. —Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Spanish or Portuguese; Spanish, from Portuguese, of African origin; akin to Wolof banaana banana

First Known Use

1597, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing banana

• banana bread
• banana clip
• banana oil
• banana pepper
• banana republic
• banana seat
• banana split
• second banana
• slip on a banana skin/peel
• top banana

Rhymes for banana

• arana
• arcana
• bandana
• bandanna
• brahmana
• cabana
• campana
• diana
• fianna
• hosanna
• hyaena
• lantana

Kids Definition

banana

noun

ba·​nana bə-ˈnan-ə 

: a treelike tropical plant with large leaves and flower clusters that develop into a bunch of finger-shaped fruit which are usually yellow when ripe

also : its fruit