banner

[ban-er]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR banner ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the flag of a country, army, troop, etc.

an ensign or the like bearing some device, motto, or slogan, as one carried in religious processions, political demonstrations, etc.

a flag formerly used as the standard of a sovereign, lord, or knight.

a sign painted on cloth and hung over a street, entrance, etc.: Banners at the intersection announced the tennis tournament.

anything regarded or displayed as a symbol of principles.

Heraldry. a square flag bearing heraldic devices.

Also called banner line, line, screamer, streamer. Journalism. a headline extending across the width of a newspaper page, usually across the top of the front page.

an open streamer with lettering, towed behind an airplane in flight, for advertising purposes.

Also called banner ad. an advertisement that appears across the top or bottom or along one side of a web page.

adjective

leading or foremost: a banner year for crops.

Origin of banner

1200–50; Middle English banere < Old French baniere < Late Latin bann(um) (variant of bandum standard < Germanic, compare Gothic bandwa sign; see band¹) + Old French -iere < Latin -āria -ary

Related formsban·nered, adjectiveban·ner·less, adjectiveban·ner·like, adjectiveun·ban·nered, adjective

Synonyms for banner

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR banner ON THESAURUS.COM

10. notable, record, winning, red-letter, vintage.

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

Related Words for banner

headline, emblem, streamer, pennant, advertisement, leading, pennon, colors, ensign, heading, standard, exceptional, foremost, outstanding, red-letter, banderole, burgee, gonfalon

Examples from the Web for banner

Contemporary Examples of banner

The accident rate in Asia has marred what was in 2014 a banner year for aviation safety.
Annoying Airport Delays Might Prevent You From Becoming the Next AirAsia 8501
Clive Irving
January 6, 2015
Not sure if you noticed, but 2014 has been a banner year for animal robots.
Meet Our Animal Robot Overlords
James Joiner
December 26, 2014
He told me that all he could see was the banner carried at the front of the group which read, “No Cops No Prisons.”
The Monsters Who Screamed for Dead Cops
Jacob Siegel
December 23, 2014
Then last week, Bloomberg Businessweek ran a banner headline “Jeb Bush Has a Mitt Romney Problem.”
Bush, Christie, Romney: Who’ll Be the GOP Class Warrior?
Lloyd Green
December 15, 2014
The first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage, Denmark still waves its banner high.
The Ultimate LGBT Travel Bucket List
December 12, 2014

Historical Examples of banner

Giles was their “ancient” and had charge of the banner, nor could it be doubted that he had flourished.
The Armourer's Prentices
Charlotte M. Yonge
The genii of the East have woven this banner from the rays of benignant stars.
Leila, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
This section had its banner too, and it was marked, "Our Dead."
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
Probably also the figure of a dog was charged on their banner.
Y Gododin
Aneurin
And raising his eyes he saw the banner fall from Miette's grasp.
The Fortune of the Rougons
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for banner

banner

noun

a long strip of flexible material displaying a slogan, advertisement, etc, esp one suspended between two points

a placard or sign carried in a procession or demonstration

something that represents a belief or principlea commitment to nationalization was the banner of British socialism

the flag of a nation, army, etc, used as a standard or ensign

(formerly) the standard of an emperor, knight, etc

Also called: banner headline a large headline in a newspaper, etc, extending across the page, esp the front page

an advertisement, often animated, that extends across the width of a web page

a square flag, often charged with the arms of its bearer

verb

(tr) (of a newspaper headline) to display (a story) prominently

adjective

US outstandingly successfula banner year for orders

Derived Formsbannered, adjective

Word Origin for banner

C13: from Old French baniere, of Germanic origin; compare Gothic bandwa sign; influenced by Medieval Latin bannum ban 1, bannīre to banish

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 banner

c.1200, from Old French baniere (Modern French bannière) "flag, banner, standard," from Late Latin bandum "standard," borrowed from a West Germanic cognate of Gothic bandwa "a sign" (see band (n.2)). Figurative use from early 14c. Of newspaper headlines, from 1913.