banishment

American  

[ban-ish-muhnt] / ˈbæn ɪʃ mənt /

noun

1. expulsion from a country, place, or position by authoritative decree, or the state of having been expelled.

   A royal proclamation ordered the banishment of all priests from the city.

   The team’s wide receiver flunked another drug test and will now be subject to a one-year banishment, according to league sources.

2. the act of driving away, or the state of having been sent away or driven out.

   We strive for the preservation of peace and the banishment of tyranny and slavery from the earth.

   The decades after World War II were marked not by disarmament and the banishment of war but by ceaseless confrontation and the division of the world into hostile blocs.

---

Other Word Forms

• nonbanishment
  noun
• probanishment
  noun
• self-banishment
  noun

Etymology

Origin of banishment

banish ( def. ) + -ment ( def. )

Explanation

When someone is punished by being made to leave a particular place, it's called banishment. If your new puppy chews up another of your dad's shoes, it may mean banishment to the backyard. In the old days, banishment was a common punishment for serious crimes — exiling someone from their town or village was shameful, leaving them estranged from their family and community. One particularly well-known banishment occurs in the Bible, when Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden. Today it's more common to use this word in a less serious way: "My banishment from the kitchen was inevitable after I broke three glasses in a row."

Example Sentences

Let’s say you were ordered deported and you now faced banishment from your country.

From Slate • Feb. 17, 2026

The first time the chests of chance were wheeled out to settle a banishment vote was back in episode five, when contestants couldn't decide whether to evict Reece or Amanda.

From BBC • Jan. 23, 2026

Part hobo, part insult comic, part performance artist, Diogenes flaunted his disregard for convention in ways that scandalized the bourgeoisie of Athens and, later, Corinth, after his banishment from Sinope became permanent.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 17, 2025

He eventually brokered a settlement, allowing Rose to voluntarily accept banishment for life in return for no further punishment.

From Salon • Jun. 13, 2025

It was clear Specimen considered Jeremy's banishment from the contest fair punishment for getting the class in trouble to begin with.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Related Words

• deportation
• expulsion