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

Los Angeles City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield is pushing a new motion to keep residents’ food scraps local, expanding composting facilities instead of trucking banana peels to Bakersfield and Lancaster. — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026

Gaudin said the playful menu was inspired by watching straight men shy away from eating foods like hot dogs and bananas in public. — Kaitlyn Harvey, AJC.com, 24 June 2026

Whole-grain bread provides fiber, nut butter contains unsaturated fats, and bananas add potassium. — Lindsey Desoto, Health, 23 June 2026

The results are usually as perishable as week-old bananas. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 23 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