banish

[ ban-ish ]

/ ˈbæn ɪʃ /

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verb (used with object)

to expel from or relegate to a country or place by authoritative decree; condemn to exile: He was banished to Devil's Island.

to compel to depart; send, drive, or put away: to banish sorrow.

Nearby words

Origin of banish

1275–1325; Middle English banisshen < Anglo-French, Old French baniss-, long stem of banir < Frankish *bannjan to proclaim, akin to ban¹

SYNONYMS FOR banish

1. exile, expatriate, outlaw; deport.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR banish ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

ban·ish·er, nounban·ish·ment, nounnon·ban·ish·ment, nounpro·ban·ish·ment, adjective

self-ban·ished, adjectiveself-ban·ish·ment, nounun·ban·ished, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for banishment

While quarantined, she was seemingly powerless to challenge her banishment to a tent in Newark.
Are Mandatory Ebola Quarantines Legal?|Tim Mak|October 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Second offenses would be punished by banishment…that could be appealed after one year.
Was Firing Ray Rice The Right Move?|Caitlin Dickson|September 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Hard to say if the banishment will make any impact on the outcome on the medal stand.
The Olympics Are Already Two Days Old. This Is Your Test.|Kevin Bleyer|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I truly thought my banishment would only last for a month or so,” she writes.
‘Banished’ Lauren Drain on Growing Up in the Westboro Baptist Church|David Sessions|March 5, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Is the GOP becoming a smaller tent where dissent is grounds for banishment?
The GOP's Liability on the Fringe|Howard Kurtz|May 8, 2011|DAILY BEAST
The king has gone to a banishment far across the sea, the ministers are either banished or powerless for good or evil.
The Soul of a People|H. Fielding
I am permitted on the highest authority to assure you that your banishment will be but short.
The Orange Girl|Walter Besant
As it was, it took the strongest influence—Masonic, press and other—to save him from banishment.
South American Fights and Fighters|Cyrus Townsend Brady
Meanwhile sentences of banishment and persecution of all sorts befel the Guelphs.
The Two First Centuries of Florentine History|Pasquale Villari
Embassies, special missions, banishment, were alleged to the Grand Duchess as the causes of their departure.
Tales from Blackwood|Various

British Dictionary definitions for banishment

banish

/ (ˈbænɪʃ) /

verb (tr)

to expel from a place, esp by an official decree as a punishment

to drive awayto banish gloom

Derived Formsbanishment, noun

Word Origin for banish

C14: from Old French banir, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German ban

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

Word Origin and History for banishment

banishment

c.1500, from banish + -ment.

banish

late 14c., banischen, from banniss-, extended stem of Old French banir "announce, proclaim; levy; forbid; banish, proclaim an outlaw," from a Germanic source (perhaps Frankish *bannjan "to order or prohibit under penalty"), or from Vulgar Latin cognate *bannire (see bandit). Related: Banished; banishing.

banish

verb (used with object)

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Nearby words

Origin of banish

Examples from the Web for banishment

banish

verb (tr)

Word Origin for banish

banishment

banish