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

Softer foods like strawberry tops and fruit peels, bananas and small amounts of pasta and rice are OK. —Jessica Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026

Every April and May, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, India, fills with devotees of the Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket team Chennai Super Kings, all wearing their trademark banana yellow. —Samanth Subramanian, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Feb. 2026

Place a banana peel in a blender with water and blend until a paste forms. —Louise Parks, Martha Stewart, 10 Feb. 2026

Martin delivered his portion of the performance in a near-perfect recreation of the Debí Tirar Más Fotos album cover, which features two white plastic chairs in a lush lawn with a bunch of bananas in the background. —Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 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