ENGLISH
REFERENCE

banish

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈbænɪʃ// UK //bˈænɪʃ// ban·ish

v. to send someone away from a place as a punishment and tell them they can never return. It can also mean to push a thought or feeling out of your mind.

v. to expel someone from a country or place by official decree; to drive away or eliminate a persistent thought or emotion. Transitive — requires a direct object.


SIMPLE

The king decided to banish the traitor from the kingdom forever.

CONTEXTUAL

After the scandal, the board of directors voted to banish the former CEO from all future company events.

COMPLEX

She tried to banish the memory of the accident from her mind, but the vivid images returned every time she closed her eyes to sleep.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English banishen, from Old French baniss-, extended stem of banir (“to proclaim, ban, banish”), of Germanic origin and Old English bannan, from Proto-Germanic *bannaną (“curse, forbid”). Compare French bannir. Doublet of ban.

Usage

The verb is transitive and often takes the preposition 'from' to indicate the place of exile.

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