as in prohibited
that may not be permitted
at one time books, movies, and plays could use "banned in Boston" as a selling point
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in outlawed
to order not to do or use or to be done or used
the company absolutely bans smoking within its buildings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in excluded
to prevent the participation, consideration, or inclusion of
the university banned those caught in the cheating scandal from graduation ceremonies
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 banned
Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
All dual-use items are banned from being exported to Japan for military use effective immediately, China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Tuesday.
—Josh Xiao Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2026
Hong Kong — China has banned exports of some rare earth elements and other items to Japan that could be used for military purposes, straining already tense relations between the two countries following the Japanese prime minister’s recent remarks on Taiwan.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
Elite colleges are enrolling record numbers of low-income students after the Supreme Court banned affirmative action.
—Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Boston's mayor Kevin White banned the band from playing in the city for five years as a result.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026
María Corina Machado, González’s ally and the leader of Venezuela’s opposition, was banned from running against Maduro that year, and was living in hiding in Venezuela until last month.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
The Iranian government, seeing the worldwide outpouring of grief and anger over the killing, banned anybody from mourning her back in 2009.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Ahead of this school year, Hochul banned students from using cell phones during the school day, after moving to regulate algorithmic social media feeds for minors.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
In the wake of the seizure, Haitian authorities banned in-transit cargo through the Dominican Republic.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Jan. 2026
All dual-use items are banned from being exported to Japan for military use effective immediately, China's Ministry of Commerce said in a statement Tuesday.
—Josh Xiao Bloomberg, Arkansas Online, 7 Jan. 2026
Hong Kong — China has banned exports of some rare earth elements and other items to Japan that could be used for military purposes, straining already tense relations between the two countries following the Japanese prime minister’s recent remarks on Taiwan.
—John Liu, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026
Elite colleges are enrolling record numbers of low-income students after the Supreme Court banned affirmative action.
—Collin Binkley, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
Boston's mayor Kevin White banned the band from playing in the city for five years as a result.
—Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 6 Jan. 2026
María Corina Machado, González’s ally and the leader of Venezuela’s opposition, was banned from running against Maduro that year, and was living in hiding in Venezuela until last month.
—Brian Bennett, Time, 6 Jan. 2026
The Iranian government, seeing the worldwide outpouring of grief and anger over the killing, banned anybody from mourning her back in 2009.
—Editorial Board, Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
Ahead of this school year, Hochul banned students from using cell phones during the school day, after moving to regulate algorithmic social media feeds for minors.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 5 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banned
Adjective
-
There is, however, room for questions about where the line between prohibited and acceptable political involvement will fall in practice.—
BrieAnna J. Frank,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
-
The list of prohibited and restricted items, as found on the CBP website, includes alcohol, biological materials, firearms, food and produce such as fruits and vegetables, soil, wildlife, fish, and gold, among other items.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Many other cities, states, and countries have outlawed the practice, according to the bill analysis.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Jan. 2026
-
The Florida Legislature outlawed full nudity at beaches, and the state then tried closing Haulover’s nude beach in 1994.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
26 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Prosecutors will have the chance to question Hale again, and defense attorneys reserved the right to ask for the testimony to ultimately be excluded.—
Peter Charalambous,
ABC News,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Just a week before, Hassett had been excluded from a White House meeting in which the president decided to impose higher tariffs on Mexico, The New York Times reported.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
An ancient forbidden kingdom nestled by the Tibetan Plateau and some of the tallest peaks in the world, Mustang didn’t allow tourists until 1992 and formally joined the contemporary Federation of Nepal in 2008.—
Joe Baur,
Outside,
31 Oct. 2025
-
In one study, University of Pennsylvania researchers manipulated LLMs into giving forbidden responses by applying persuasion techniques effective on humans.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Utilities were stuck with the headache and expense of storing waste themselves, so in 2014, a judge forbade the federal government from continuing to collect the NWF fees.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
29 Oct. 2025
-
The officials forbade her from telling others about the nondisclosure agreement itself and made her promise to never pursue legal action.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The rightful winner of Venezuela’s presidential election Machado rose to become Maduro’s strongest opponent in recent years, but his government barred her from running for office to prevent her from challenging — and likely beating — him in the 2024 presidential election.—
Regina Garcia Cano,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Online court records show Thornton was sentenced to two years of probation, ordered to have no contact with Karofsky and barred from Dane County, home to the state Supreme Court in Madison, unless his probation agent approves a visit for a legitimate reason.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The trade war also eliminated hundreds of jobs tied to cross-border wine commerce and contributed to a boom in Canadian wine sales, reshaping consumer habits and retail offerings in the country.—
Dave Gordon,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Change is coming The Kansas school is among more than 1,900 public K-12 schools that have eliminated names and images determined to be disparaging to Indigenous peoples of the United States.—
Diana Lambdin Meyer,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
LogoPowered byScale logo At least 114 people have died and 127 remain missing in central Philippines after a typhoon caused destruction and widespread flooding, which local officials suggest could have been prevented if not for persistent graft in flood-control projects.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The government shutdown, which started on October 1, has prevented many federal employees from getting paid.—
Holly Yan,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Banned.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banned. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share