banshee

noun

: 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.

Did you know?

In Irish folklore, a bean sídhe (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, as in "a banshee wail."

Examples of banshee in a Sentence

I heard someone wailing like a banshee.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Temperance let loose a banshee wail. Charna Flam, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025 There aren’t songs with Chino screaming like a banshee, nor are there any overindulging atmospheric tracks. Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025 But just before all the banshee wailing threatens to overwhelm proceedings, along comes a hypnotic tribal beat which briefly turns the wake into a party. Jon O'Brien, Vulture, 13 May 2025 He’s been a banshee for us since he’s been with us on the two-way and has provided not just the attitude, the toughness on the court, but he’s played some really good basketball for us. Khobi Price, Oc Register, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for banshee

Word History

Etymology

Irish bean sídhe & Scottish Gaelic bean sìth, literally, woman of fairyland

First Known Use

1771, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of banshee was in 1771

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Cite this Entry

“Banshee.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banshee. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

banshee

noun
: a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose wailing warns that a death will occur soon
Etymology

from Irish bean sídhe & Scottish Gaelic bean sìth, literally, "woman of fairyland"

More from Merriam-Webster on banshee

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