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

Dessert options include banana pudding and cookies, and Prajapati said additional specials — including ribs and turkey breast sandwiches — are on the way. —Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 4 June 2026

After fruitlessly trying to snatch the banana, the chimps quickly started rearranging the items. —Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 4 June 2026

His breath had the tang of sour bananas. —Literary Hub, 3 June 2026

Beyond nostalgia, these refreshing, oceanic scents are also a wonderful reprieve from the wave of saccharine gourmands (from springy banana scents to decadent vanillas for winter) that dominated #PerfumeTok over the last few years. —Kara Jillian Brown, InStyle, 3 June 2026

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