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 company initially began adding perishable groceries, such as bananas, milk, eggs and bread, to its same-day delivery service in areas such as Phoenix, Orlando and Kansas City. —Saleen Martin, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025

Examples of fiber-rich foods that contain prebiotics include almonds, bananas, peas, eggplant, artichoke, beans, and oats.15 Slows digestion. —Jessica Swirble, Verywell Health, 12 Aug. 2025

Even with no overall increase in food prices last month, Americans are still paying more for tariff-sensitive staples like coffee, sugar and bananas — and new import taxes could soon push those costs even higher. —Mike Winters, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2025

Parents can grab a banana, plain pasta or yogurt in minutes. —Michelle Stansbury, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2025

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