Banks

American  

[bangks] / bæŋks /

noun

1. Sir Joseph, 1734–1820, English naturalist.

2. Nathaniel Prentiss 1816–94, U.S. army officer and politician: Speaker of the House 1856–57.

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Banks British  

/ bæŋks /

noun

1. Iain ( Menzies ). 1954–2013, Scottish novelist and science fiction writer. His novels include The Wasp Factory (1984), The Crow Road (1992), and The Steep Approach to Garbadale (2007); science-fiction (under the name Iain M. Banks) includes Look to Windward (2000)

2. Sir Joseph . 1743–1820, British botanist and explorer: circumnavigated the world with James Cook (1768–71)

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Banks Scientific  

/ băngks /

1. British botanist who took part in Captain James Cook's voyage around the world (1768–1771), during which he discovered and cataloged many species of plant and animal life.

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Example Sentences

Banks across Wall Street should reap substantial investment-banking fees from the SpaceX deal.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Banks and funds have overlapping exposure to borrowers.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

He said notes were kept of bathroom breaks, so year heads could look and see "patterns of toilet behaviour", but overall Banks said it was a "humane approach".

From BBC • May 16, 2026

The Reserve Banks provide important information to Congress, financial markets and the public about the risks the Fed faces and the trade-offs among its choices.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026

Still, Ms. Banks was pretty gentle with the lecture.

From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx