banister
Americannoun
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banisters
plural
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a baluster.
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Sometimes banisters. the balustrade of a staircase.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of banister
First recorded in 1660–70; apparently by dissimilation from earlier barrister, alteration of baluster, perhaps by association with bar 1
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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:
The velvety silhouette feels as distant as the sea, whose dark surface is sliced by the banister.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026
She can now ride her bike again and walk up stairs "without hanging on to the banister".
From BBC ● May 22, 2025
“And then literally at the same time, on another channel, there was Jamie,” he recalled in an interview last week, “this floppy-haired Essex boy, sliding down the banister doing one-pot wonders.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2024
There were icicle lights outside their rural Georgia home, garland on the banister and stockings hanging above the fireplace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 21, 2023
I went on smiling, I put one hand on the banister.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
Along the banisters were motion-activated lights - one wrong step and they would flare on, announcing their presence.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
Marion says her rule of thumb for banisters or stairs is to measure the length, then add 50 percent; so, if your banister is 12 feet long, add six and order 18 feet of garland.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 1, 2022
Bunting, usually reserved for opening day, hung from the banisters.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 2, 2021
We were told to keep them away from our faces — keep them from people and banisters and elevator buttons and other destinations toward which they were naturally inclined.
From New York Times ● Mar. 12, 2021
A youngun was sitting on the banisters of the house.
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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