bananas

[ buh-nan-uh z ]

/ bəˈnæn əz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bananas ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Slang.

crazy; deranged: All that chatter is driving me bananas.

wildly enthusiastic: The crowd went bananas when the music began.

Nearby words

banana skin, banana slug, banana spider, banana split, bananaland, bananas, banaras, banat, banausic, banbridge, banbury

Origin of bananas

1965–70, Americanism; see banana, -s³

Definition for bananas (2 of 2)

banana

[ buh-nan-uh ]

/ bəˈnæn ə /

noun

a tropical plant of the genus Musa, certain species of which are cultivated for their nutritious fruit.Compare banana family.

the fruit, especially that of M. paradisiaca, with yellow or reddish rind.

Origin of banana

1590–1600; < Spanish < Portuguese (perhaps via Sp); akin to various words for banana or plantain in WAfr languages (e.g., Wolof, Malinke banana, Vai (Mande language of Liberia) bana), but ultimate source and direction of borrowing uncertain

Can be confused

banana plantain¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for bananas

Duarte owns a small plot of land where she grazes cattle and grows beans, maize, bananas, and oranges.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution|Nina Lakhani|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I love its late daylight against old building facades; its 30-cent bananas from the stands on the corner; its new bike lanes.
My Life as an Illegal AirBnb Landlord|Anonymous|June 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the checkout, her total for bananas, arugula, blackberries, kale, yogurt, rice noodles, and tofu comes to $34.21.
The Gluten-Free Diet Has Two Faces|Andrea Powell|May 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Medical errors in television shows and movies drive me bananas.
Scandal’s Finale Featured One of the Most Preposterous TV Deaths Ever|Russell Saunders|April 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Zoe has come a long way since her days of screaming “I die” and “Bananas!”
Rachel Zoe is Living in Style—'Really'|Erin Cunningham|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He learnt to eke out his meagre supplies by living on the wild game of the country, the native flour, bananas and mangoes.
Sketches of the East Africa Campaign|Robert Valentine Dolbey
The fruits are those natural to the tropics, but only oranges, pineapples and bananas are raised for exportation.
Cuba|Arthur D. Hall
At every roll the Snark shook overboard a bunch or so of bananas and cocoanuts, or a basket of limes.
The Cruise of the Snark|Jack London
After each meal we took oranges, apples, or bananas up on deck and ate them while laying in the sunshine.
The Biography of a Rabbit|Roy Benson
A fountain was playing in the middle, surrounded by orange trees, bananas and flowering plants, in great green tubs.
Golden Days for Boys and Girls, Vol. XII, Jan. 3, 1891|Various

British Dictionary definitions for bananas (1 of 2)

bananas

/ (bəˈnɑːnəz) /

adjective

slang crazy (esp in the phrase go bananas)

British Dictionary definitions for bananas (2 of 2)

banana

/ (bəˈnɑːnə) /

noun

any of several tropical and subtropical herbaceous treelike plants of the musaceous genus Musa, esp M. sapientum, a widely cultivated species propagated from suckers and having hanging clusters of edible fruit

the crescent-shaped fruit of any of these plantsCompare plantain 2

Word Origin for banana

C16: from Spanish or Portuguese, of African origin

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

Idioms and Phrases with bananas

banana

In addition to the idiom beginning with banana

banana oil

also see:

drive someone crazy (bananas)
go bananas
top banana