banish

verb

ˈba-nish How to pronounce banish (audio)
Definition of banishnext
1
as in to exile
to force to leave a country in the old days, criminals were sometimes banished to distant lands

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to out
to drive or force out permanently banished the troublemakers from the youth recreational center

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb banish contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of banish are deport, exile, and transport. While all these words mean "to remove by authority from a state or country," banish implies compulsory removal from a country not necessarily one's own.

banished for seditious activities

When is it sensible to use deport instead of banish?

The synonyms deport and banish are sometimes interchangeable, but deport implies sending out of the country an alien who has illegally entered or whose presence is judged inimical to the public welfare.

illegal aliens will be deported

When would exile be a good substitute for banish?

Although the words exile and banish have much in common, exile may imply compulsory removal or an enforced or voluntary absence from one's own country.

a writer who exiled himself for political reasons

In what contexts can transport take the place of banish?

In some situations, the words transport and banish are roughly equivalent. However, transport implies sending a convicted criminal to an overseas penal colony.

a convict who was transported to Australia

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of banish Or like in 1985, when Microsoft banished the idea of a spreadsheet as paper that required an accountant to calculate every value by hand. —Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 31 Jan. 2026 On Christmas Day, the sisters joined King Charles and other family members for church at Sandringham, while their parents were banished from the gathering. —Janine Henni, PEOPLE, 31 Jan. 2026 Now Nyquist has been banished to the press box, scratched for 12 of 15 games since the start of January. —Harman Dayal, New York Times, 30 Jan. 2026 Who got banished on 'The Traitors'? —Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for banish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for banish
  1. exile
  2. out
  3. relegate
  4. dismiss
  5. deport
  6. eject
  7. evict
  8. chase
Verb
  • Advertisement But pro-democracy figures have argued that local governance has grown increasingly aligned with the mainland as political dissidents have either been jailed or exiled, organizations have disbanded, and a free press dismantled.
    — Chad de Guzman, Time, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Baton follows a soccer player (Ramirez), relentlessly pursuing his dream of playing professionally, who threatens his relationship with his sister after he is kicked off the team and exiled back to Miami.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of exile
Verb
  • Of course, these posts outing Khan as a potential Twitter troll—this time anonymously as compared to the troll activity on his own account—led to harassing tweets from pro-AEW accounts.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
  • The San Jose State controversy initially gained traction in conservative media outlets, including the website Reduxx, which outed the athlete before the 2024 season.
    — Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
Definition of out
Verb
  • Our family photographs depicted us in beauty, power and wholeness, rejecting every image that attempted to relegate us to a stereotype.
    — Anya Sesay, jsonline.com, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Researchers have long assumed the bugs were mostly relegated to South Florida due to their need for particularly warm climates.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of relegate
Verb
  • After days of deliberations, the House justice committee voted to dismiss the impeachment complaints filed by left-wing activists and a lawyer against Marcos.
    — JIM GOMEZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, Arkansas Online, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Saab denied the allegations and appealed to have the charges dismissed on grounds of diplomatic immunity.
    — Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of dismiss
Verb
  • Right-wing backlash to the announcement of a Spanish-language halftime performance was swift and included calls to deport Bad Bunny, who is an American citizen.
    — Vanessa Diaz, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2026
  • Some have had parents deported.
    — Cate Charron, IndyStar, 5 Feb. 2026
Definition of deport
Verb
  • Hornets players Moussa Diabate and Miles Bridges, as well as Pistons’ Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart, were all ejected from the game.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Midway through the fourth quarter, Lee was ejected and had to be restrained by Hornets guard Brandon Miller while yelling at officials for a no-call after Charlotte’s Grant Williams collided with Detroit’s Paul Reed.
    — Steve Reed, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of eject
Verb
  • The tenant association voted to move to evict these women, their decision no less necessary for being sad.
    — Michael Powell, The Atlantic, 11 Feb. 2026
  • But students are not allowed to evict them.
    — Jane Arraf, NPR, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of evict
Verb
  • And while a few are chasing specific bucket-list goals, many simply want to go somewhere enjoyable, do something engaging, and stay healthy.
    — Kathy Boardman, USA Today, 7 Feb. 2026
  • The new owner is Gary (Justin Kirk), who chases off anyone who comes around.
    — Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Definition of chase

Browse Nearby Words

bang up
banish
banished
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Cite this Entry

“Banish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/banish. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on banish

Nglish: Translation of banish for Spanish Speakers

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