Banks

American  

[bangks] / bæŋks /

noun

1. Sir Joseph, 1734–1820, English naturalist.

2. Nathaniel Prentiss 1816–94, U.S. army officer and politician: Speaker of the House 1856–57.

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Banks British  

/ bæŋks /

noun

1. Iain ( Menzies ). 1954–2013, Scottish novelist and science fiction writer. His novels include The Wasp Factory (1984), The Crow Road (1992), and The Steep Approach to Garbadale (2007); science-fiction (under the name Iain M. Banks) includes Look to Windward (2000)

2. Sir Joseph . 1743–1820, British botanist and explorer: circumnavigated the world with James Cook (1768–71)

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Banks Scientific  

/ băngks /

1. British botanist who took part in Captain James Cook's voyage around the world (1768–1771), during which he discovered and cataloged many species of plant and animal life.

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Example Sentences

Banks across Wall Street should reap substantial investment-banking fees from the SpaceX deal.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Banks and funds have overlapping exposure to borrowers.

From MarketWatch • May 20, 2026

He said notes were kept of bathroom breaks, so year heads could look and see "patterns of toilet behaviour", but overall Banks said it was a "humane approach".

From BBC • May 16, 2026

Under Banks, the Border Patrol became involved in immigration operations away from the border with agents carrying out roundups of migrants in major cities across the country.

From Barron's • May 14, 2026

And as he said that, Mr. Banks popped his head out of the window and looked down the Lane to Admiral Boom’s house at the corner.

From "Mary Poppins" by P. L. Travers