banns

or bans

[ banz ]

/ bænz /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR banns ON THESAURUS.COM

noun (used with a plural verb) Ecclesiastical.

notice of an intended marriage, given three times in the parish church of each of the betrothed.

any public announcement of a proposed marriage, either verbal or written and made in a church or by church officials.

Nearby words

bannister, bannister's disease, bannisters, bannock, bannockburn, banns, banoffee, banon, banquet, banquet room, banquette

Origin of banns

1540–50; variant of bans, plural of ban²

Can be confused

banns bans

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

Examples from the Web for banns

A source close to Zuckerberg has said the timing of the banns was purely coincidental, since the IPO date was a “moving target.”
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s Wedding Calculus|Rebecca Dana|May 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Then again there is her strange behavior when Joern announces that he has arranged for the publishing of the banns.
Sleep Walking and Moon Walking|Isidor Isaak Sadger
The banns were verbally published after the benediction following the conclusion of the Mass.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Suppose now—the banns have been read, the wedding is under way, but the little one sleeps in the forest.
Plays by August Strindberg, Fourth Series|August Strindberg

No other forbidding of the banns will render the publication void.
The Legal Position of the Clergy|P. V. Smith
What's this Mr. Harrison tells me about your forbidding the banns in his case?
The End Of The World|Edward Eggleston

British Dictionary definitions for banns

banns

bans

/ (bænz) /

pl n

the public declaration of an intended marriage, usually formally announced on three successive Sundays in the parish churches of both the betrothed

forbid the banns to raise an objection to a marriage announced in this way

Word Origin for banns

C14: plural of bann proclamation; see ban 1

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