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

This drink has chocolate milk, banana syrup and coconut syrup. —Paige Moore, AZCentral.com, 31 Mar. 2026

What do bananas have to do with American history? —Kyana Moghadam, NPR, 31 Mar. 2026

Wild Hare Bar Garden will serve a full brunch menu, including a quinoa breakfast power bowl, Meyer lemon Benedict, a California breakfast burrito and bananas foster french toast. —Abby Hamblin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026

The offer will be available exclusively in Dairy Queen's app for rewards members and is a nod to the fast-food chain's motion of flipping Blizzard Treats upside down, and also the physical flips that the Savannah Bananas do while playing banana ball, according to the release. —Kate Perez, USA Today, 30 Mar. 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