as in second banana
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Recent Examples of top banana
Inflated prices are likely a byproduct of the president’s trade war, with tariffs imposed on the country’s top banana suppliers.
—
Claire Malon, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Inflated prices are likely due to Trump’s trade war, with tariffs imposed on the country’s top banana suppliers.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
In Planet of the Apes and for some reason Better Man, these apes are first on the call sheet, Chimps in a Leading Role, top banana.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2025
So which restaurant did Yelp readers declare top banana?
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2022
Guillermo Rodriguez always fancied himself as the top banana.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 July 2019
This is, alas, the Yahweh of the early Hebrews, a fickle, petulant, seemingly amoral deity whose childish obsession is with proving himself top banana in the pantheon of primitive gods.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 12 July 2018
Claire Malon, Boston Herald, 17 Sep. 2025
Inflated prices are likely due to Trump’s trade war, with tariffs imposed on the country’s top banana suppliers.
—Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2025
In Planet of the Apes and for some reason Better Man, these apes are first on the call sheet, Chimps in a Leading Role, top banana.
—Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 15 Jan. 2025
So which restaurant did Yelp readers declare top banana?
—Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2022
Guillermo Rodriguez always fancied himself as the top banana.
—Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 July 2019
This is, alas, the Yahweh of the early Hebrews, a fickle, petulant, seemingly amoral deity whose childish obsession is with proving himself top banana in the pantheon of primitive gods.
—Sam Sacks, WSJ, 12 July 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for top banana
Noun
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Caesar and Coca were soon joined on the show by the diminutive Howard Morris, whom Caesar could hoist from the ground and glare at face to face, and by Carl Reiner, tall like Caesar but as happy as Sid was miserable—the ideal second banana.—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
10 Nov. 2025
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If Kate felt like the second banana in her career previously, at least that was based on her official role as Hal’s second at their various postings.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Bernabe caught the attention of Twitter gagman and Banana Capital founder Turner Novak, who’s made a name for himself by entwining industry analysis with creative memes on social media.—
Nina Wolpow,
Forbes,
23 Sep. 2021
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Indeed, many New Yorker artists once relied on gagmen.—
Thomas Vinciguerra,
WSJ,
16 Nov. 2018
Noun
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The comedian wore dangly diamond and pearl earrings and styled her hair in soft waves.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
12 Jan. 2026
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Wanda Sykes made sure that comedian Ricky Gervais — a comedian whose past material raised eyebrows and allegations of transphobia — shared his big 2026 Golden Globes night with a higher power and the transgender community.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That has, at least, spawned a rich stream of social media content, with wags across the world editing iconic cricket clips with the commentary coming before them.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The real dog sniffed Jennie and gave an approving tail wag.—
Rena Goldman,
EverydayHealth.com,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Top banana.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/top%20banana. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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