Bon

¹ American  

[bon, bawn] / bɒn, bɔ̃ /

noun

1. Cape, a cape on the NE coast of Tunisia: surrender of the German African forces, May 12, 1943.

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Bon ² American  

[bawn] / bɔn /

noun

1. an annual festival of the Japanese Buddhists, welcoming ancestral spirits to household altars.

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Bön ³ American  

[bohn] / boʊn /

noun

1. a shamanistic Tibetan sect, absorbed by the first Buddhist sects of the 7th century and later.

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Bon ¹ British  

/ bɔːn /

noun

1. Also called: Feast of Lanterns.   Festival of Lanterns.  an annual festival celebrated by Japanese Buddhists

2. 1. the pre-Buddhist priests of Tibet or one such priest

   2. their religion

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Bon ² British  

/ bɒn /

noun

1. a peninsula of NE Tunisia

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Etymology

Origin of Bon

< Japanese, originally Urabon < Chinese version of Sanskrit ullambana literally, hanging upside down (a metaphor for the suffering brought on by physical desires)

Example Sentences

I fell for it outside of hummus in a tahini-miso ranch from Bon Appétit that I now make on instinct, and since then, it’s found its way into everything.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

In "Ya Bon" he criticised current and past African heads of state who he says have maintained a "servile relationship with the coloniser".

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

“Frampton Comes Alive!” inspired a generation of arena-rock artists, including Bon Jovi, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Alice in Chains.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 19, 2026

After contributing to Bon Iver's Sable, Fable and Justin Bieber's acclaimed comeback, Swag, he scored two Grammy nominations for his second album, Baby.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2025

O Bon was a special celebration for spirits of the dead who returned to visit those they had loved on earth.

From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr