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
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bannedsimple
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had bannedperfect
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was banningprogressive
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were banningprogressive
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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:
Modgil says an outright ban is "probably too severe", but if these procedures are going to continue then the industry "massively needs regulation".
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Most people who qualify for legal residency, or a green card, have to serve that 10-year ban before they can apply for a green card, which can lead to citizenship.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
The French government had promoted the ban as a way to better protect young people from the harmful effects associated with social media platforms, including anxiety, depression, sleep disorders and online harassment.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Back when Hal was still a novelty to the public, we see 10-year-old John disobeying his father’s TV ban to watch the hero’s first-ever interview on “60 Minutes.”
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
A few days after that, I watched as protesters gathered at major airports across the country to denounce the ban on Syrian refugees and Muslims around the world.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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
In the true Bedouin spirit he devoted his talent largely to satire and attacked the bani Nahshal and the bani Fuqaim.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 2 "Fairbanks, Erastus" to "Fens" by Various
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
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
The Times leads with possible widespread bans on water use at car washes and private swimming pools in an effort to combat the drought.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
More than 27 million people are facing water use restrictions, including hosepipe bans.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
A spokesperson for Kalshi, one of the leading trading platforms, said the platform bans insider trading and welcomes any policy measures doing the same.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
There are no bans on shipping, however, she added, and it was up to the individual captains to decide how to adjust their cargoes to adapt to the lower waters.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
The insidious effect of bans was that at a certain point one began to think that the oppressor was not without but within.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
For immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally, leaving the country or being deported triggers a penalty — many are banned from coming back into the U.S. for a decade.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
Users—brand-affiliated or otherwise—who break subreddits’ promotional rules often find their comments deleted at best and their accounts banned at worst.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
That is why these peptides remain banned in many countries, including in France where Thomas lives.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
Disposal barbecues have been temporarily banned from sale over fears they pose a "significant risk to the public" as drought and heatwave conditions continue to grip the UK.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
He banned for life all the players involved in the fix because of their undeniable dealings with gamblers.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
Simply banning players from going to the touchline would not stop coaches from using the goalkeeper tactical timeout to break up the momentum of the opposition.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
His campaign was also briefly tripped up by court rulings banning his use of national symbols like Colombia's football jersey -- decisions that were later overturned.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
I should note that Meta has attempted to push back against the “pervert glasses” reputation by banning nonconsensual content from its platforms and creators that violate its policy.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
At the same time, the state has passed various laws intended to protect people from PFAS, including banning them in food packaging and firefighting foam.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
After three years of silence, banning, and internal exile, I looked forward to the chance to speak out before the people attempting to judge me.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
