1
as in exiling
to force to leave a country
in the old days, criminals were sometimes banished to distant lands
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dismissing
to drive or force out
permanently banished the troublemakers from the youth recreational center
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of banishing
Angels could be seen all around — some on the walls depicting Moses' life and death, and another above, on Michelangelo’s fresco, banishing Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden.
—
ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Was banishing Natalie Anderson Tara’s ultimate undoing?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Imagine banishing stuffed animals from the living room, corralling all the toy cars outside the main bedroom, and finally finding a place for that play kitchen that isn’t your actual kitchen.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 11 Feb. 2026
Should the punishment be a life sentence banishing Belichick from the Hall?
—Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
Dell is her stream's dungeon master, banishing those who don't abide by her terms and steadily rising up the platform's ranks with her sympathetic story and angry-funny screen presence.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
In fact, breathable bags of activated charcoal are one of Palmer's go-to tools for banishing bad smells.
—Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 22 Jan. 2026
Gabby Windey, Dylan Efron, Dolores Catania and Lord Ivar Mountbatten won the game after banishing all the Traitors.
—Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 8 Jan. 2026
But his former mentor isn’t ready to absolve him, banishing Langdon to triage in a transparent act of avoidance.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
ABC News, 22 Mar. 2026
Was banishing Natalie Anderson Tara’s ultimate undoing?
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026
Imagine banishing stuffed animals from the living room, corralling all the toy cars outside the main bedroom, and finally finding a place for that play kitchen that isn’t your actual kitchen.
—Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 11 Feb. 2026
Should the punishment be a life sentence banishing Belichick from the Hall?
—Miami Herald, 28 Jan. 2026
Dell is her stream's dungeon master, banishing those who don't abide by her terms and steadily rising up the platform's ranks with her sympathetic story and angry-funny screen presence.
—Danielle Parker, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
In fact, breathable bags of activated charcoal are one of Palmer's go-to tools for banishing bad smells.
—Kate Van Pelt, The Spruce, 22 Jan. 2026
Gabby Windey, Dylan Efron, Dolores Catania and Lord Ivar Mountbatten won the game after banishing all the Traitors.
—Christopher Kuhagen, jsonline.com, 8 Jan. 2026
But his former mentor isn’t ready to absolve him, banishing Langdon to triage in a transparent act of avoidance.
—Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banishing
Verb
-
The anti-Zionist project of ending Israel’s existence as a Jewish state implies killing, subjugating, or re-exiling more than half of the world’s Jewish population.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Ruthlessly exiling those players sent a clear message about the importance of squad harmony, but arguably handed the leverage in negotiations to buying clubs, driving down their prices and delaying their departures.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Bangladesh was bowled out for 413 in its first innings, before taking a 27-run lead, dismissing Pakistan for 386 with offspinner Mehidy Hasan taking five wickets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
-
On Friday, Makary was privately dismissing the reports of his imminent ouster as false, those people said.—
Sarah Owermohle,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Clearly, the longer the conflict continues, the greater its impact will be, not just on the travel industry directly, but also because a global supply chain shortage will drive up the cost of living, relegating travel to a nice-to-have rather than a given this summer.—
Alex Ledsom,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
-
Lomax, after becoming chairman of the department of English, retaliates, assigning Stoner grueling teaching schedules and relegating him to teaching repetitive freshman composition and sophomore survey courses.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Pautler recommends ejecting pods after each use, as well as occasionally rinsing removable parts of the machines.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The trans-Atlantic alliance's founding treaty has no mechanism for suspending or ejecting any of the members, although nations may leave of their own accord one year after notifying the other allies.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The United States was deporting her and 13 other West Africans to Ghana, a country none of them called their own.—
Tobi Raji,
Washington Post,
10 May 2026
-
Badenoch has called for stronger enforcement, including deporting foreign preachers who are spreading hate in mosques and other institutions.—
Ariella Noveck,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Dream big, but don’t ignore practical details while chasing inspiration.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
-
West Ham looked to have breathed life back into their season in recent weeks, but last weekend’s loss comes at the worst time before facing title-chasing Arsenal on Sunday.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
What drives an eruption to switch from expelling oozing lava to blasting ash and rock into the sky?—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
8 May 2026
-
Many other countries followed its lead, with the United States expelling 60 people.—
Nick Tabor,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Just months into the pandemic, Matthew Haines, like landlords across the country, learned he was barred from evicting tenants who didn’t pay their rent under a federal eviction moratoriumthat lasted almost a year — costing him and his investors over $1 million.—
Michael Casey,
Fortune,
3 May 2026
-
Prasad, at the time of the filing, claimed that the property owner had signed a lease that prevents them from evicting the campus.—
CBS Chicago Team,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Banishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banishing. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
