ban

¹

[ ban ]

verb (used with object)

, banned, ban·ning.

1. to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict:

   to ban nuclear weapons;

   The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.

   Synonyms: proscribe, outlaw, taboo

   Antonyms: allow

2. Archaic.
   1. to pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon.
   2. to curse; execrate.

noun

1. the act of prohibiting by law; interdiction.

   Synonyms: taboo, interdict, proscription, prohibition

2. informal denunciation or prohibition, as by public opinion:

   society's ban on racial discrimination.

   Synonyms: taboo

3. Law.
   1. a proclamation.
   2. a public condemnation.
4. Ecclesiastical. a formal condemnation; excommunication.
5. a malediction; curse.

ban

²

[ ban ]

noun

1. a public proclamation or edict.
2. bans, Ecclesiastical. banns.
3. (in the feudal system)
   1. the summoning of the sovereign's vassals for military service.
   2. the body of vassals summoned.

ban

³

[ ban, bahn ]

noun

1. (formerly) the governor of Croatia and Slavonia.
2. History/Historical. a provincial governor of the southern marches of Hungary.

ban

⁴

[ bahn ]

noun

, plural ba·ni [bah, -nee].

1. a Romanian coin, one 100th of a leu.

ban

¹

/ bæn /

noun

1. a monetary unit of Romania and Moldova worth one hundredth of a leu

ban

²

/ bæn /

verb

1. tr to prohibit, esp officially, from action, display, entrance, sale, etc; forbid

   to ban a book

   to ban smoking

2. tr (formerly in South Africa) to place (a person suspected of illegal political activity) under a government order restricting his movement and his contact with other people
3. archaic.
   to curse

noun

1. an official prohibition or interdiction
2. law an official proclamation or public notice, esp of prohibition
3. a public proclamation or edict, esp of outlawry
4. archaic.
   public censure or condemnation
5. archaic.
   a curse; imprecation

ban

³

/ bæn /

noun

1. (in feudal England) the summoning of vassals to perform their military obligations

Other Words From

• banna·ble adjective
• un·banned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ban¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bannen, Old English bannan “to summon, proclaim”; cognate with Old Norse banna to curse (probably influencing some senses of Middle English word), Old High German bannan; akin to Latin fārī “to speak,” Sanskrit bhanati “(he) speaks”

Origin of ban²

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, ban, ban(n)e, iban “a lord's proclamation or edict or summons,” Old English (ge)ban(n) “proclamation, ordinance, summons to arms” (derivative of bannan ); influenced in some senses by Old French ban (Anglicized as ban ), from the same Germanic source; ban ¹

Origin of ban³

First recorded in 1605–15; from Serbo-Croatian bân, contracted from unattested bojan, bajan, said to be from a Turkic personal name, perhaps introduced into the Balkans by the Avars; compare Medieval Greek bo(e)ános “governor”

Origin of ban⁴

First recorded in 1960–65; from Romanian, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Serbo-Croatian bân “provincial governor”; ban ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of ban¹

from Romanian, from Serbo-Croat bān lord

Origin of ban²

Old English bannan to proclaim; compare Old Norse banna to forbid, Old High German bannan to command

Origin of ban³

C13: from Old French ban , of Germanic origin; related to Old High German ban command, Old Norse bann ban ¹

Example Sentences

To do so, governments need to boost the adoption of electric vehicles through clear tax incentives, diesel and petrol engine bans, and major infrastructure investments.

From TechCrunch

If such a ban is not possible, steps should be taken to improve air circulation, the study said.

From Washington Post

The ban will apply to plastics that are designed to be used once and then discarded — water bottles, cutlery, candy wrappers and bags — that clog local waterways and overwhelm landfills, LeBlanc said.

From Washington Post

Iowa’s House speaker said he can’t make lawmakers wear masks — but he did enforce a ban on jeansRep.

From Washington Post

To get the space off right, Smith set up the pop-up in a matter of days, installing everything from the electric lines to blow-up snowmen to ensure the igloos would be ready for the deep winter chill and the temporary complete ban on indoor dining.

From Washington Blade

If the Israel model ban were directed towards disordered eating, Ravin says she would support it whole-heartedly.

From The Daily Beast

But in 1969, a longstanding practice was challenged—its ban on women.

From The Daily Beast

A ban on the ringing of church bells, lifted in 1941, was reimposed.

From The Daily Beast

Aside from a blanket ban, social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit are nearly impossible to control.

From The Daily Beast

Or are the risks so great that a temporary ban is necessary?

From The Daily Beast

We no longer live in an age when down-trodden laborers meet by candlelight with the ban of the law upon their meeting.

From Project Gutenberg

Weary of their ungodliness the Church placed its ban upon them under this ban it seems they die.

From Project Gutenberg

Even when Christianity fell under the ban of persecution that freedom of sepulture was not at first interfered with.

From Project Gutenberg

For ten years Matthew and Mary lived happily together, or would have been happy if it had not been for the ban of the church.

From Project Gutenberg

"Aye ban tank we joost get it nice quiet van you come back again," Anderson remarked in mock melancholy.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• boycott
• censorship
• embargo
• injunction
• prohibition
• refusal
• restriction

More About Ban

What does ban mean?

To ban is to forbid or prohibit something or someone, as in Fatima banned her children from using screens after 9 pm so they wouldn’ stay up all night playing video games.

A ban is a law or rule that prohibits, or bans, something, as in The winter parking ban starts on December 1.

A ban can also be an informal prohibition, such as by public opinion.

Example: We had to ban the use of power tools for school projects after an unfortunate incident in shop class.

Where does ban come from?

The first records of the term ban come from before the year 1,000. It ultimately comes from the Old English bannan, meaning “to summon or proclaim.” It also has influences from the Old Norse banna, meaning “to curse,” which reflects the modern use of ban more closely. 

Usually, ban describes something that is officially prohibited. This can be on multiple levels, such as a ban on nuclear weapons by world powers, a person being banned from a restaurant for poor behavior, a person being temporarily banned from an online service, or even banning certain items or words from large services or smaller establishments.

In religion, as with Christianity, a ban is the removal of someone from the faith (excommunication) on the grounds of religious laws.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to ban?

• bannable (adjective)
• banning (noun, verb)
• unbanned (adjective, verb)

What are some synonyms for ban?

• boycott
• embargo
• prohibit
• refusal
• restrict

What are some words that often get used in discussing ban?

• entry
• practice
• prohibition
• temporary

What are some words ban may be commonly confused with?

• banns

How is ban used in real life?

Ban is commonly used to discuss both administrative and more casual prohibitions.

Austria bans the unvaccinated from restaurants as COVID-19 cases surge https://t.co/GWuPQVrlHH pic.twitter.com/tEneRi8nuw

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 6, 2021

BREAKING: Homeland Security intelligence report disputes threat posed by citizens of 7 nations in Trump travel ban.

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 24, 2017

i tripped. going up. the stairs today. fell snoot first. it wasn’t pleasant. my solution.. ban. every stair

— Thoughts of Dog® (@dog_feelings) October 19, 2017

 

 

Try using ban!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for ban?

A. embargo
B. prohibit
C. refuse
D. approve