1
as in curse
a source of harm or misfortune
regarding the new laborsaving machinery as a bane, the 19th-century Luddites went about destroying it in protest
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2
as in poison
a substance that by chemical action can kill or injure a living thing
a plant that is believed to be the bane of the wolf
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Recent Examples of bane
Bowl eligibility is probably a reasonable place to start, although nuance — the bane of Hot Seat speculation everywhere — could enter the calculation.
—
Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2025
For Ferndale businesses and residents, the commerce train is a bane of their existence.
—Ayah Imran, Freep.com, 18 July 2025
There was a time when the Mojito was the bane of bartenders back in the early aughts when the drink was popular but the craft cocktail movement hadn’t really found its sea legs yet.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 July 2025
The dome covering the telescope wasn’t working, the moon (bane of astronomers everywhere) was near full, and Sacchetti came down with an illness that nearly required him to be evacuated down the mountain.
—Harry Goldstein, IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bane
Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 18 Aug. 2025
For Ferndale businesses and residents, the commerce train is a bane of their existence.
—Ayah Imran, Freep.com, 18 July 2025
There was a time when the Mojito was the bane of bartenders back in the early aughts when the drink was popular but the craft cocktail movement hadn’t really found its sea legs yet.
—Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 11 July 2025
The dome covering the telescope wasn’t working, the moon (bane of astronomers everywhere) was near full, and Sacchetti came down with an illness that nearly required him to be evacuated down the mountain.
—Harry Goldstein, IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bane
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bane
Noun
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Now, the princess must gather enough strength from herself and her triplet brothers to undo a curse.—
Sydni Ellis,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
As rocks and curses flew from the street, bullets spat from the middle window on the south side of the house.—
Neal Rubin,
Freep.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This ruthless cartel is intent on cashing in, permeating our communities with their poison, with no regard to human suffering.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
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There are traces of these iconic villains in every product—from majestic packaging (such as a poison apple soap dispenser and a dragon castle candle holder) to two haunting fragrances.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In the early window, my Dirty Birds were down three to our arch-nemesis, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.—
Coy Wire,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
-
His nemesis Toby returned nine episodes later.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Those drugs, which target rare diseases, and some newer cancer treatments are part of the reason Sun Life Financial covered 47 claims last year that cost over $3 million.—
Kaitlyn Schallhorn,
Oc Register,
10 Sep. 2025
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Certain health conditions, including liver disease, cancer, diabetes or HIV, or immunosuppressants, raise the risk for severe illness.—
Mollye Barrows,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In 2023, 20 steel mills and coke plants nationwide emitted nearly 2.4 million pounds of air toxics, 289,722 tons of criteria air pollutants and 43.3 million metric tons of greenhouse gases, according to the study.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Sep. 2025
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Just last week, for example, the Trump administration, through its Environmental Protection Agency, proposed to withdraw two rules imposing air toxics and greenhouse gas limits on fossil-fuel power plants.—
Wayne Messam,
Sun Sentinel,
15 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bane.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bane. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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