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
Compare meaning
How does banister compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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
The inquest also heard two statements from firefighters Leighton Brown and Gareth Davies who said the stairs banister, ceiling and the whole of the landing was “covered in smoke and fire” on their arrival.
From BBC ● Nov. 18, 2024
“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
You sprint down all twelve flights of stairs, hugging the banister on the turns to make them tight.
From "Goodbye Stranger" by Rebecca Stead
Along the banisters were motion-activated lights - one wrong step and they would flare on, announcing their presence.
From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2026
Fans crammed shoulder‑to‑shoulder against the banisters and barricades, stretching jerseys, bobbleheads and posters toward her for autographs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
Examples include the front door, mantle, archways, stair banisters, central tables or kitchen islands and windows.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 1, 2023
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
To his utter amazement there was a human entangled in the banisters.
From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
