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

Set amid rows of banana and rubber trees near the little town of Kuravilangad, the sisters at the St. Francis Mission Home spend their days in prayer or caring for the aged. — Tim Sullivan, The Seattle Times, "AP finds long history of nuns abused by priests in India," 1 Jan. 2019 There are 50 or so spectators eating banana-and-Nutella mini waffles and tiny rounds of avocado toast among cocktail-height tables. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "The absurd quest to make the “best” razor," 11 Dec. 2018 Meghan Markle's first royal tour of Australia and Oceania has been full of surprises — selfies, fashion, and even some homemade banana bread. — Devon Elizabeth, Teen Vogue, "Meghan Markle Gives First Royal Tour Speech in Fiji About College Education," 24 Oct. 2018 Flavors include apple, chocolate marshmallow, dulce de leche banana cream, lemon icebox, blackberry vanilla, pecan, tangerine custard and vegan and gluten-free chocolate lace. — Sara Cagle, latimes.com, "Where to pick up pie for the Fourth of July," 27 June 2018 Danno and the rest of the red team were safe from elimination, while blue team members had to bake a banana cream pie in an hour to advance to the next round. — Tracy Swartz, chicagotribune.com, "South Loop contestant finally featured on 'MasterChef'," 20 June 2018 The homemade banana pudding, with flecks of real vanilla beans, served in a Mason jar is a showstopper. — Michelle Newman, San Antonio Express-News, "New Braunfels: Your guide to shopping, dining and hotels," 11 June 2018 Desserts include peach cobbler, apple pie, old fashioned banana pudding, and ice cream in rotating seasonal flavors – with bourbon vanilla milkshakes ready for summer. — Chicago Reader, "Dylan Lipe of BBQ Supply Co.," 31 May 2018 The menu included sturgeon, goose, lobster, steak, pine nut porridge, corn chowder and banana ice cream — so much food in a country the U.S. routinely excoriates for depriving its own people that some Pompeo aides felt guilty eating it. — Carol Morello, Washington Post, "My journey to North Korea with the secretary of state," 10 May 2018

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

12 Jan 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