Definition of banshee
: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die We heard someone screaming like a banshee.
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Examples of banshee in a Sentence
I heard someone wailing like a banshee.
Recent Examples of banshee from the Web
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And, oh yes, what is probably the best theme-park attraction Walt Disney World engineers have developed to date: a thrilling ride on the back of a flying banshee through a lush, faraway land.
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Related stories from Miami Herald Astride a banshee in new world of Avatar Learning to be a ninja warrior A volcano and a 3D race with Jimmy Fallon Never miss a local story.
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Banshees have flown off the shelves at Pandora — the World of Avatar, the new land at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
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The banshees are designed to sit on the shoulders of their owners, who can control the mechanical toys’ head movements, sounds and flapping of wings.
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About ten minutes in, someone came to my front door and my little dog Meimei, resting at my feet, jumped up and started barking like a banshee.
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Flight of Passage is a rollicking simulator that re-creates adventures aboard a mountain banshee, the winged best friend of the Na’vi.
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Two new rides are featured: Avatar Flight of Passage is a 3-D flight simulator that takes riders on a trip on the back of a banshee, while Na’vi River Journey is an indoor boat ride that floats guests on a river tour of the rain forest of Pandora.
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Guests can explore bioluminescent forests and soar on the back of a banshee at Disney World’s Pandora –
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'banshee.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
In Irish folklore, a "bean sidhe" (literally "woman of fairyland") was not a welcome guest. When she was seen combing her hair or heard wailing beneath a window, it was considered a sign that a family member was about to die. English speakers modified the mournful fairy's Irish name into the modern word banshee - a term we now most often use to evoke her woeful or terrible or earsplitting cry, as in "to scream like a banshee," or attributively, "a banshee wail."
Origin and Etymology of banshee
Irish bean sídhe & Scottish Gaelic bean sìth, literally, woman of fairyland
BANSHEE Defined for English Language Learners
banshee
playDefinition of banshee for English Language Learners
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: a female spirit in Irish and Scottish stories who cries loudly to warn people that someone is going to die soon
Learn More about banshee
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See words that rhyme with banshee Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about banshee
Seen and Heard
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