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

The banana-loving blobs have already been trotted out to advertise the Games, appearing in a spot with Team USA snowboarding gold medalist Chloe Kim. —Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 Feb. 2026

At the end of the 19th century, the United Fruit Company established itself in Bocas (which remains a major exporter of bananas) and built scores of pastel colonial-style wooden houses, many of which remain intact. —John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026

Often the meats are wrapped in agave leaves and cooked in underground ovens, though some pitmasters substitute banana leaves. —Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Jan. 2026

Imagine opening your freezer and smack dab in the middle, amid the bags of frozen spaghetti sauce and bananas, is something fuzzy looking. —Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 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