definitions

ban

1
[ ban ]
/ bæn /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ban ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), banned, ban·ning.

to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict: to ban nuclear weapons; The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.
Archaic.
  1. to pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon.
  2. to curse; execrate.

noun

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RELATED WORDS

embargo, restriction, refusal, injunction, prohibition, boycott, censorship, prohibit, bar, halt, prevent, suppress, outlaw, restrict, exclude, proscribe, proscription, stoppage, interdiction, limitation

Nearby words

bamboo network, bamboo shoots, bamboo turning, bamboo ware, bamboozle, ban, ban-lon, ban-the-bomber, banaba, banaban, banach space

Origin of ban

1
before 1000; Middle English bannen, Old English bannan to summon, proclaim; cognate with Old Norse banna to curse (probably influencing some senses of ME word), Old High German bannan; akin to Latin fārī to speak, Sanskrit bhanati (he) speaks
Related formsban·na·ble, adjectiveun·banned, adjective
Can be confusedband bannedbanns bans

Definition for ban (2 of 4)

ban

2
[ ban ]
/ bæn /

noun

a public proclamation or edict.
bans, Ecclesiastical. banns.
(in the feudal system)
  1. the summoning of the sovereign's vassals for military service.
  2. the body of vassals summoned.

Origin of ban

2
1200–50; Middle English, aphetic variant of iban, Old English gebann proclamation, summons to arms (derivative of bannan ban1), influenced in some senses by Old French ban, from same Germanic base

Definition for ban (3 of 4)

ban

3
[ ban, bahn ]
/ bæn, bɑn /

noun

(formerly) the governor of Croatia and Slavonia.
History/Historical. a provincial governor of the southern marches of Hungary.

Origin of ban

3
1605–15; < Serbo-Croatian bân, contracted from *bojan, *bajan, said to be < a Turkic personal name, perhaps introduced into the Balkans by the Avars; compare Medieval Greek bo(e)ános ban

Definition for ban (4 of 4)

ban

4
[ bahn ]
/ bɑn /

noun, plural ba·ni [bah-nee] /ˈbɑ ni/.

a Romanian coin, the 100th part of a leu.

Origin of ban

4
1960–65; < Romanian, of uncertain origin, perhaps < Serbo-Croatian bân ban3
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ban

British Dictionary definitions for ban (1 of 3)

ban

1
/ (bæn) /

verb bans, banning or banned

noun

Word Origin for ban

Old English bannan to proclaim; compare Old Norse banna to forbid, Old High German bannan to command

British Dictionary definitions for ban (2 of 3)

ban

2
/ (bæn) /

noun

(in feudal England) the summoning of vassals to perform their military obligations

Word Origin for ban

C13: from Old French ban, of Germanic origin; related to Old High German ban command, Old Norse bann ban 1

British Dictionary definitions for ban (3 of 3)

ban

3
/ (bæn) /

noun plural bani (ˈbɑːnɪ)

a monetary unit of Romania and Moldova worth one hundredth of a leu

Word Origin for ban

from Romanian, from Serbo-Croat bān lord
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012