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

Seedless bananas sprang up in the wild thousands of years ago when their chromosome number doubled. —Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 7 May 2026

Boiling banana peels will break down and soften fibers. —Haniya Rae, Martha Stewart, 5 May 2026

There’s dessert on the menu, too, with sweet options including banana pudding, peach and apple cobbler, bread pudding, and pecan and sweet potato pie. —Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 4 May 2026

My favorites are strawberries and bananas. —Jennifer Berger, Verywell Health, 4 May 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