Illustration of banana
- banana 2
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
Examples of banana in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Every game opens with a Banana Baby, held aloft like Simba (but dressed in a banana peel) while the players kneel before the bemused child and its parents.
—
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2023
Latta’s drink order is brought out to the courtyard: An iced green tea with oat milk that looks more like a slurry of banana medicine and lime juice.
—Erika Houle, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
On a cloudy, gusty morning last month, three dozen students, teachers, construction workers, electricians and bartenders wore helmets and shoulder pads and boomed torpedoes, banana kicks and drop punts.
—Jeré Longman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
The South American country is the world’s largest exporter of bananas, shipping about 7.2 tons a year by sea.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023
Once that classic song starts, people just go bananas.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 4 Sep. 2023
This sampler pack comes with two large cups of banana pudding and two cupcakes.
—Jasmine Gomez, Women's Health, 25 Aug. 2023
The Monstera plant develops fruit that tastes like a mix between a banana, a pineapple, and a mango, which in South America has earned the plant another nickname: fruit salad plant.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 30 Aug. 2023
Some human foods are OK for animal consumption, such as bananas or watermelon, but others are not, like grapes.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023
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Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2023
Latta’s drink order is brought out to the courtyard: An iced green tea with oat milk that looks more like a slurry of banana medicine and lime juice.
—Erika Houle, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2023
On a cloudy, gusty morning last month, three dozen students, teachers, construction workers, electricians and bartenders wore helmets and shoulder pads and boomed torpedoes, banana kicks and drop punts.
—Jeré Longman, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
The South American country is the world’s largest exporter of bananas, shipping about 7.2 tons a year by sea.
—Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2023
Once that classic song starts, people just go bananas.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 4 Sep. 2023
This sampler pack comes with two large cups of banana pudding and two cupcakes.
—Jasmine Gomez, Women's Health, 25 Aug. 2023
The Monstera plant develops fruit that tastes like a mix between a banana, a pineapple, and a mango, which in South America has earned the plant another nickname: fruit salad plant.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Country Living, 30 Aug. 2023
Some human foods are OK for animal consumption, such as bananas or watermelon, but others are not, like grapes.
—Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 30 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'banana.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Dictionary Entries Near banana
Cite this Entry
“Banana.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banana. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
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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
More from Merriam-Webster on banana
Nglish: Translation of banana for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of banana for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about banana
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