banish

verb

ban·ish | \ ˈba-nish

banished; banishing; banishes

Definition of banish

1 : to require by authority to leave a country a dictator who banishes anyone who opposes him

2 : to drive out or remove from a home or place of usual resort or continuance He was banished from court. banishing her from the sport The reporters were banished to another room.

3 : to clear away : dispel his discovery banishes anxiety— Stringfellow Barr

Other Words from banish Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about banish

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Choose the Right Synonym for banish

banish, exile, deport, transport mean to remove by authority from a state or country. banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own. banished for seditious activities exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country. a writer who exiled himself for political reasons deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare. illegal aliens will be deported transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony. a convict who was transported to Australia

Examples of banish in a Sentence

He was banished for life. The dictator banished anyone who opposed him.

Recent Examples on the Web

The stone completely freaks the villagers out and Claire and Jamie are promptly banished. — Mehera Bonner, Harper's BAZAAR, "Outlander's Season 4 Finale Will Leave You an Emotional Mess," 28 Jan. 2019 Two men tried to shoot her in 1842, and in 1849, her carriage was attacked by William Hamilton, an unemployed Irish immigrant who later pled guilty to the crime and was banished for seven years, History reports. — Chanel Vargas, Town & Country, "15 Fascinating Facts You Didn't Know About Queen Victoria," 8 Jan. 2019 Easter is a day to fan the ashes of dead hope, a day to banish doubts and seek the slopes where the sun is rising. — Selena Barrientos, Good Housekeeping, "35 Cute Easter Instagram Captions for All of Your Egg-ceptional Photos," 14 Feb. 2019 To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that Mary is not the first influential person or celebrity to try to banish the concept of thigh gaps and make the goal less coveted. — Elly Belle, Teen Vogue, "Instagram Side-By-Side Shows How to Get a Thigh Gap," 2 July 2018 Narrowly spared execution, he was banished to Yelang, a remote southwest region, essentially China’s Siberia. — Yunte Huang, WSJ, "‘The Banished Immortal’ Review: ‘Heaven Begot a Talent Like Me’," 11 Jan. 2019 To ensure the base stayed put, the pro utilized Tatcha's cult favorite oil blotting sheets and pressed on Diorskin powder to banish excess shine. — Jenna Rennert, Vogue, "How Michelle Yeoh Made Her Effortless Oscars Makeup Last All Day and Night," 25 Feb. 2019 While Fox News executives publicly express support for CNN, its on-air talent spent the past week trying to justify the White House’s decision to banish Acosta. — Aaron Rupar, Vox, "Even Trump’s favorite TV network supports CNN’s lawsuit against the White House," 14 Nov. 2018 The Trump administration has weakened popular provisions requiring health insurance to pay for birth control services, however, and is working to allow the marketing of bare-bones health plans that Obamacare tried to banish. — NBC News, "What is Obamacare?," 5 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'banish.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.