banish

[ ban-ish ]

verb (used with object)

1. to expel from or relegate to a country or place by authoritative decree; condemn to exile:

   He was banished to Devil's Island.

   Synonyms: deport, outlaw, expatriate, exile

2. to compel to depart; send, drive, or put away:

   to banish sorrow.

banish

/ ˈbænɪʃ /

verb

1. to expel from a place, esp by an official decree as a punishment
2. to drive away

   to banish gloom

Derived Forms

• ˈbanishment, noun

Other Words From

• ban·ish·er noun
• ban·ish·ment noun
• self-ban·ished adjective
• un·ban·ished adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of banish¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English banisshen, from Anglo-French, Old French baniss-, long stem of banir, from unrecorded Frankish bannjan “to proclaim,” akin to ban ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of banish¹

C14: from Old French banir , of Germanic origin; compare Old High German ban

Example Sentences

The controversial Russian-based Greek conductor has been banished from the majority of Western institutions.

From Los Angeles Times

New Zealand, on the other hand, had the pain of 2022's home series defeat to banish on their first visit to Dublin in three years.

From BBC

But if most legal distinctions between classes in America were officially banished in 1789 — among white people, that is — considerable inequality of wealth and capital not only remained, but increased and hardened in place.

From Salon

He immediately goes to her house in Westview and plans to banish her for crimes, something she initially laughs off but ultimately begins to fear.

From Salon

Even after the government banished controlled burns, inhabitants of the Sandhills continued using them.

From Salon

Related Words

• dismiss
• dispel
• drive away
• eject
• eliminate
• eradicate
• evict
• exclude
• exile
• get rid of
• isolate
• ostracize
• oust
• outlaw
• relegate
• remove