ban
1 Americanverb (used with object)
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bans,
present (3rd person singular)
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banned,
past participle, past
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banning
present participle
noun
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the act of prohibiting by law; interdiction.
- Synonyms:
- taboo, interdict, proscription, prohibition
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informal denunciation or prohibition, as by public opinion.
society's ban on racial discrimination.
- Synonyms:
- taboo
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Law.
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a proclamation.
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a public condemnation.
-
-
Ecclesiastical. a formal condemnation; excommunication.
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a malediction; curse.
noun
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a public proclamation or edict.
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Ecclesiastical. bans, banns.
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(in the feudal system)
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the summoning of the sovereign's vassals for military service.
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the body of vassals summoned.
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noun
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(formerly) the governor of Croatia and Slavonia.
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History/Historical. a provincial governor of the southern marches of Hungary.
noun
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bani
plural
verb
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(tr) to prohibit, esp officially, from action, display, entrance, sale, etc; forbid
to ban a book
to ban smoking
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(tr) (formerly in South Africa) to place (a person suspected of illegal political activity) under a government order restricting his movement and his contact with other people
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archaic to curse
noun
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an official prohibition or interdiction
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law an official proclamation or public notice, esp of prohibition
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a public proclamation or edict, esp of outlawry
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archaic public censure or condemnation
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archaic a curse; imprecation
noun
noun
Usage
What does ban mean? To ban is to forbid or prohibit something or someone, as in Fatima banned her children from using screens after 9 pm so they wouldn’ stay up all night playing video games. A ban is a law or rule that prohibits, or bans, something, as in The winter parking ban starts on December 1. A ban can also be an informal prohibition, such as by public opinion. Example: We had to ban the use of power tools for school projects after an unfortunate incident in shop class.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bansimple
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banssimple
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have bannedperfect
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has bannedperfect
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am banningprogressive
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are banningprogressive
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is banningprogressive
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have been banningperfect progressive
-
has been banningperfect progressive
Past
-
bannedsimple
-
had bannedperfect
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was banningprogressive
-
were banningprogressive
-
had been banningperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ban1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English bannen, Old English bannan “to summon, proclaim”; cognate with Old Norse banna to curse (probably influencing some senses of Middle English word), Old High German bannan; akin to Latin fārī “to speak,” Sanskrit bhanati “(he) speaks”
Origin of ban2
First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, ban, ban(n)e, iban “a lord's proclamation or edict or summons,” Old English (ge)ban(n) “proclamation, ordinance, summons to arms” (derivative of bannan ); influenced in some senses by Old French ban (Anglicized as ban ), from the same Germanic source; see ban 1
Origin of ban3
First recorded in 1605–15; from Serbo-Croatian bân, contracted from unattested bojan, bajan, said to be from a Turkic personal name, perhaps introduced into the Balkans by the Avars; compare Medieval Greek bo(e)ános “governor”
Origin of ban4
First recorded in 1960–65; from Romanian, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Serbo-Croatian bân “provincial governor”; see origin at ban 3
Explanation
The verb to ban means to forbid something from being or happening. The word can also be used as a noun. A school board might put a ban on all books that refer to Jefferson's mistress if they don't want anyone reading about her. If your parents are upset by how much time you spend online, they might ban computers in the house. But if you're smart, you can just use your phone or laptop at school. To ban something is to put a ban on it. Something with a ban on it is said to be banned. A ban can vary from your grandmother's ban on people wearing shoes in her house to a government's ban on printing certain stories in the newspaper.
Vocabulary lists containing ban
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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"The Civil Rights Movement"
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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Like Canada, more countries are moving to ban or restrict the practice, including France and Mexico.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
In 2024, while the ban was pending, USC said it would “comply with state law” if it were signed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
In a three-and-a-half-hour meeting, Infantino also faced questions about US striker Folarin Balogun's suspended red-card ban, the Fifa Peace Prize and funding for national associations.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Last month, the government rolled out austerity measures to conserve fuel, including a ban on official foreign travel, and mandated early market closures, as well as a new fuel subsidy for low-income groups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
There had been a ban on such marriages, and a district judge had issued an injunction not to enforce it, but a stay had been placed on that injunction.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
By then—that would have been 1995—the Shorawi were defeated and long gone and Kabul belonged to Massoud, Rab- bani, and the Mujahedin.
From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
Particularly is this the case with the inscriptions of Sennacherib and Ashur bani apal.
From Assyrian Historiography by A. T. (Albert Ten Eyck) Olmstead
He was of the Dārim, one of the most respected divisions of the bani Tamīm, and his mother was of the tribe of Ḍabba.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2 "Fairbanks, Erastus" to "Fens" by Various
The king sent the bani of Bosnia and Croatia to help them, but the Venetian senate bought the rescuers off!
From The Shores of the Adriatic The Austrian Side, The Küstenlande, Istria, and Dalmatia by F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton) Jackson
For the period after the reign of Ashur bani apal, we have only the scantiest data.
From Assyrian Historiography by A. T. (Albert Ten Eyck) Olmstead
So far, 11 UK water companies have announced hosepipe bans in 2026.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Meanwhile, members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said a 2022 law bans Russian energy imports until Russia ends its aggression against Ukraine and stops threatening U.S. allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
The European Union insists that, yes, its law known as the AI Act is powerful enough since it forces companies to assess and mitigate risks, under threat of massive fines or even bans.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
We have some school systems right now that have imposed A.I. bans or are keeping generative apps restricted to certain uses.
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2026
I knew such measures would come, but I had not expected to receive my bans in the remote town of Villiers.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Paris police chief Patrice Faure banned demonstrations around the Elysee presidential palace, the prime minister's office, and the Champs-Elysees shopping avenue, among other key locations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Now 24 and in recovery from anorexia, Varsha says she is still served weight loss content on social media - despite having every safety setting turned on, and an exhaustive list of banned words.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
The restrictions mean diplomats are banned from travelling 60km outside London without permission.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
The University of Chicago said a person of interest has been identified and banned from campus, but the individual isn’t a student or affiliated with the university.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026
In the South, the book was said to have been “founded on imaginary circumstances, and gross improbabilities” and frequently banned.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The NBA and its sports betting partners are banning certain bets this season that are highly susceptible to manipulation.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Since banning them has thus far proven unpopular and ineffective, the question seems to be: Can fraternities be reformed?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Regulations on AI companion bots took effect in July, aiming to curb emotional dependency and banning the creation of digital clones of real people without their consent.
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The school system has added staff in support of this approach, while simultaneously banning school police officers from campus except in emergencies and sharply reducing the size of the school police force.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Because of her banning and her restriction to Johannes-burg, she needed police permission to come to court.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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