banner

[ban-er]

noun

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

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

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

4. a sign painted on cloth and hung over a street, entrance, etc..

   Banners at the intersection announced the tennis tournament.

5. anything regarded or displayed as a symbol of principles.

6. Heraldry.,  a square flag bearing heraldic devices.

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

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

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

adjective

1. leading or foremost.

   a banner year for crops.

   Synonyms: vintage, red-letter, winning, record, notable

banner

/ ˈbænə /

noun

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

2. a placard or sign carried in a procession or demonstration

3. something that represents a belief or principle

   a commitment to nationalization was the banner of British socialism

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

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

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

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

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

verb

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

adjective

1. outstandingly successful

   a banner year for orders

Other Word Forms

• bannered adjective
• bannerless adjective
• bannerlike adjective
• unbannered adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of banner¹

1200–50; Middle English banere < Old French baniere < Late Latin bann ( um ) (variant of bandum standard < Germanic, compare Gothic bandwa sign; band ¹ ) + Old French -iere < Latin -āria -ary

Word History and Origins

Origin of banner¹

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

Example Sentences

Down the street from ICE headquarters on the south Portland waterfront, a rainbow of costumes hung on a makeshift rack, a vertical banner with “FREE” in block letters attached.

Read more on Salon

The country's President Jose Maria Neves was part of the celebrations in the stands, holding aloft a banner detailing Cape Verde's ticket for the 2026 World Cup straight after the full-time whistle sounded.

Read more on BBC

Outside the city hall, demonstrators who included striking government workers carried banners critical of France and saying "Rajoelina and Macron out".

Read more on Barron's

CHICAGO—Across the street from Wendy Jones’s South Side office, a banner promises an economic lifeline for her low-income neighborhood: A new metro station is coming soon.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He has marched in antiwar protests and dropped massive banners from Texas highways that say: Let Gaza live.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• emblem 
• headline 
• pennant 
• streamer