banana

noun

ba·nana | \ bə-ˈna-nə

, especially British -ˈnä-\

Definition of banana

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

Examples of banana in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Mexico City’s central market supplied 3.5 tons of bananas and guavas to refuel the crowd, plus 600 bottles of water. — Amy Guthrie, The Seattle Times, "Aid arrives for migrants at Mexico City stadium as US votes," 6 Nov. 2018 Two pallets of bananas were donated to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), a statement from the department said. — Amy Lieu, Fox News, "Banana shipment contained nearly $18M in cocaine, authorities say," 22 Sep. 2018 What about skipping the jelly altogether and going for slices of banana? — Raisa Bruner, Time, "People Have Very Strong Feelings About the Correct Approach to Making a PB&J," 29 June 2018 Her father was a shipyard supervisor, her mother a renowned home cook whose sauteed banana dessert was a forerunner of bananas Foster, a staple at Brennan’s Restaurant. — Washington Post, "Ella Brennan, matriarch of New Orleans restaurant family, dies at 92," 2 June 2018 Buying the largest apple or bunch of bananas can work against your weight loss goals. — Philly.com, "Is fruit interfering with your weight loss goals? A dietitian weighs in," 26 Apr. 2018 The security footage showed Jennifer Hart checking out at a Safeway in Fort Bragg, Calif., a cluster of bananas on the counter. — Alene Tchekmedyian, latimes.com, "New details emerge about Hart family's last days before mysterious crash," 5 Apr. 2018 Bananas: Seal the stems of bananas in plastic wrap to help keep them fresh longer. — Joy Bauer, Woman's Day, "12 Ways to Prevent Food from Going to Waste," 10 Apr. 2017 Cost per recipe: $0.97 Cost per serving: $0.97 Makes: 1 serving Ingredients: 1 whole grain tortilla ($0.37) 1 banana ($0.45) 2 Tbsp all-natural peanut butter ($0.15) Directions: On a tortilla, spread peanut butter. — Nazima Qureshi, SELF, "Here's How a Registered Dietitian Shops and Meal Preps on a Budget," 22 Feb. 2019

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

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Statistics for banana

Last Updated

20 Apr 2019

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Time Traveler for banana

The first known use of banana was in 1597

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More Definitions for banana

banana

noun

English Language Learners Definition of banana

: a long curved fruit with a thick peel that is yellow when it is ripe

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

banana

noun

ba·nana | \ bə-ˈna-nə

Kids Definition of banana

: a fruit that is shaped somewhat like a finger, is usually yellow when ripe, and grows in bunches on a large treelike tropical plant with very large leaves