Jump To:

• Bon
  Bon

  noun

  Cape, a cape on the NE coast of Tunisia: surrender of the German African forces, May 12, 1943.
• Bön
  Bön

  noun

  a shamanistic Tibetan sect, absorbed by the first Buddhist sects of the 7th century and later.

Bon

¹ American  

[bon, bawn] / bɒn, bɔ̃ /

noun

1. Cape, a cape on the NE coast of Tunisia: surrender of the German African forces, May 12, 1943.

---

Bon ² American  

[bawn] / bɔn /

noun

1. an annual festival of the Japanese Buddhists, welcoming ancestral spirits to household altars.

---

Bön ³ American  

[bohn] / boʊn /

noun

1. a shamanistic Tibetan sect, absorbed by the first Buddhist sects of the 7th century and later.

---

Bon ¹ British  

/ bɔːn /

noun

1. Also called: Feast of Lanterns.   Festival of Lanterns.  an annual festival celebrated by Japanese Buddhists

2. 1. the pre-Buddhist priests of Tibet or one such priest

   2. their religion

---

Bon ² British  

/ bɒn /

noun

1. a peninsula of NE Tunisia

---

Etymology

Origin of Bon

< Japanese, originally Urabon < Chinese version of Sanskrit ullambana literally, hanging upside down (a metaphor for the suffering brought on by physical desires)

Example Sentences

“Natural Disaster,” which features a guest verse from Lucinda Williams and guitar from Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, is one of a few tracks that stretches beyond pop-song length.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 12, 2026

I fell for it outside of hummus in a tahini-miso ranch from Bon Appétit that I now make on instinct, and since then, it’s found its way into everything.

From Salon • Mar. 25, 2026

For several seasons now, "it has been less about creativity and more about predictability", agreed Franck Nauerz, head of menswear at Paris fashion stores Le Bon Marche and La Samaritaine.

From Barron's • Jan. 18, 2026

But his magpie tendencies go even further, cherry-picking from artists ranging from Paramore and Miley Cyrus to Daniel Bedingfield and Bon Iver.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

Heading straight for Bon Bibi’s shrine, Ma began to light incense and chant prayers.

From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins