ban

¹

[ ban ]

verb (used with object)

, banned, ban·ning.

1. to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict:

   to ban nuclear weapons;

   The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.

   Synonyms: taboo, proscribe, outlaw

   Antonyms: allow

2. Archaic.
   1. to pronounce an ecclesiastical curse upon.
   2. to curse; execrate.

noun

1. the act of prohibiting by law; interdiction.

   Synonyms: taboo, interdict, proscription, prohibition

2. informal denunciation or prohibition, as by public opinion:

   society's ban on racial discrimination.

   Synonyms: taboo

3. Law.
   1. a proclamation.
   2. a public condemnation.
4. Ecclesiastical. a formal condemnation; excommunication.
5. a malediction; curse.

ban

²

[ ban ]

noun

1. a public proclamation or edict.
2. bans, Ecclesiastical. banns.
3. (in the feudal system)
   1. the summoning of the sovereign's vassals for military service.
   2. the body of vassals summoned.

ban

³

[ ban, bahn ]

noun

1. (formerly) the governor of Croatia and Slavonia.
2. History/Historical. a provincial governor of the southern marches of Hungary.

ban

⁴

[ bahn ]

noun

, plural ba·ni [bah, -nee].

1. a Romanian coin, one 100th of a leu.

ban

¹

/ bæn /

noun

1. (in feudal England) the summoning of vassals to perform their military obligations

ban

²

/ bæn /

noun

1. a monetary unit of Romania and Moldova worth one hundredth of a leu

ban

³

/ bæn /

verb

1. tr to prohibit, esp officially, from action, display, entrance, sale, etc; forbid

   to ban smoking

   to ban a book

2. tr (formerly in South Africa) to place (a person suspected of illegal political activity) under a government order restricting his movement and his contact with other people
3. archaic.
   to curse

noun

1. an official prohibition or interdiction
2. law an official proclamation or public notice, esp of prohibition
3. a public proclamation or edict, esp of outlawry
4. archaic.
   public censure or condemnation
5. archaic.
   a curse; imprecation

Other Words From

• banna·ble adjective
• un·banned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ban¹

First recorded before 1000; Middle English bannen, Old English bannan “to summon, proclaim”; cognate with Old Norse banna to curse (probably influencing some senses of Middle English word), Old High German bannan; akin to Latin fārī “to speak,” Sanskrit bhanati “(he) speaks”

Origin of ban²

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English, ban, ban(n)e, iban “a lord's proclamation or edict or summons,” Old English (ge)ban(n) “proclamation, ordinance, summons to arms” (derivative of bannan ); influenced in some senses by Old French ban (Anglicized as ban ), from the same Germanic source; ban ¹

Origin of ban³

First recorded in 1605–15; from Serbo-Croatian bân, contracted from unattested bojan, bajan, said to be from a Turkic personal name, perhaps introduced into the Balkans by the Avars; compare Medieval Greek bo(e)ános “governor”

Origin of ban⁴

First recorded in 1960–65; from Romanian, of uncertain origin, perhaps from Serbo-Croatian bân “provincial governor”; ban ³

Word History and Origins

Origin of ban¹

C13: from Old French ban , of Germanic origin; related to Old High German ban command, Old Norse bann ban ¹

Origin of ban²

from Romanian, from Serbo-Croat bān lord

Origin of ban³

Old English bannan to proclaim; compare Old Norse banna to forbid, Old High German bannan to command

Example Sentences

The Human Tissue Act only bans "commercial dealings" of human tissue in the context of medical transplantation, rather than sale as artefacts.

From BBC

The minister rejected a Liberal Democrat calls to scrap the ban on asylum seekers working if they have waited more than three months for a decision.

From BBC

It is also considering banning tenants from buying any newly built social housing.

From BBC

But more than 160 nations have signed the Mine Ban Treaty which commits to banning the production, use and stockpiling of anti-personnel mines.

From BBC

Son has been racially abused multiple times since coming to the Premier League in 2015, with the most recent case seeing a Nottingham Forest supporter banned from every ground in the country.

From BBC

Related Words

• boycott
• censorship
• embargo
• injunction
• prohibition
• refusal
• restriction

More About Ban

What does ban mean?

To ban is to forbid or prohibit something or someone, as in Fatima banned her children from using screens after 9 pm so they wouldn’ stay up all night playing video games.

A ban is a law or rule that prohibits, or bans, something, as in The winter parking ban starts on December 1.

A ban can also be an informal prohibition, such as by public opinion.

Example: We had to ban the use of power tools for school projects after an unfortunate incident in shop class.

Where does ban come from?

The first records of the term ban come from before the year 1,000. It ultimately comes from the Old English bannan, meaning “to summon or proclaim.” It also has influences from the Old Norse banna, meaning “to curse,” which reflects the modern use of ban more closely. 

Usually, ban describes something that is officially prohibited. This can be on multiple levels, such as a ban on nuclear weapons by world powers, a person being banned from a restaurant for poor behavior, a person being temporarily banned from an online service, or even banning certain items or words from large services or smaller establishments.

In religion, as with Christianity, a ban is the removal of someone from the faith (excommunication) on the grounds of religious laws.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to ban?

• bannable (adjective)
• banning (noun, verb)
• unbanned (adjective, verb)

What are some synonyms for ban?

• boycott
• embargo
• prohibit
• refusal
• restrict

What are some words that often get used in discussing ban?

• entry
• practice
• prohibition
• temporary

What are some words ban may be commonly confused with?

• banns

How is ban used in real life?

Ban is commonly used to discuss both administrative and more casual prohibitions.

Austria bans the unvaccinated from restaurants as COVID-19 cases surge https://t.co/GWuPQVrlHH pic.twitter.com/tEneRi8nuw

— Reuters (@Reuters) November 6, 2021

BREAKING: Homeland Security intelligence report disputes threat posed by citizens of 7 nations in Trump travel ban.

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 24, 2017

i tripped. going up. the stairs today. fell snoot first. it wasn’t pleasant. my solution.. ban. every stair

— Thoughts of Dog® (@dog_feelings) October 19, 2017

 

 

Try using ban!

Which of the following is NOT a synonym for ban?

A. embargo
B. prohibit
C. refuse
D. approve