banner

1 of 3

noun

ban·​ner ˈba-nər How to pronounce banner (audio)
1
a
: a piece of cloth attached by one edge to a staff and used by a leader (such as a monarch or feudal lord) as a standard (see standard entry 1 sense 1)
b
: flag entry 2 sense 1
our nation's beloved banner
c
: an ensign displaying a distinctive or symbolic device or legend (see legend sense 2a)
especially : one presented as an award of honor or distinction
2
: a headline in large type running across a newspaper page
The banner read "Kennedy Wins."
3
: a strip of cloth on which a sign is painted
welcome banners stretched across the street
4
: a name, slogan, or goal associated with a particular group or ideology
the new banner is "community control"F. M. Hechinger
often used with under
every new administration arrives … under the banner of changeJohn Cogley
5
or or : an advertisement graphic (see graphic entry 2 sense 2b) that runs usually across the top of a World Wide Web page
6
or : the upper, large, often lobed petal of a papilionaceous flower (as of a pea or bean plant) : standard sense 8a, vexillum sense 3
The uppermost petal is the largest, and, since it is something like a flag, is sometimes called the banner.John Nelson
compare keel sense 2b, wing sense 2e(2)

banner

2 of 3

verb

bannered; bannering; banners

transitive verb

1
: to furnish with a banner
a bannered storefront
2
journalism : to print (a news story) under a headline in large type usually on the front page
News of the defeat was bannered in newspapers throughout the country.

banner

3 of 3

adjective

1
: prominent in support of a political party
a banner Democratic county
2
: distinguished from all others especially in excellence
a banner year for business

Examples of banner in a Sentence

Noun A banner was hung over the street advertising the local theater production. Banners were carried by members of each group marching in the parade. Adjective It was a banner year for the sales department. The team had a banner season last year.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
If anything, the banner Blackness of the 2017 Oscars proved that there needs to be more Black films, not just more non-white people in the Academy, to avoid going years where there’s no diversity in American cinema. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2024 Bishop O’Dowd’s loss in the program’s sixth trip to the state championship was a dismal end to an otherwise banner season for the East Bay power. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 The group, funded by cryptocurrency investors, aired ads statewide (and hired a plane to circle the Hollywood Hills, towing a banner) that painted Porter as a hypocrite and an actor. Laura J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 In one banner, Clark is taking a jump shot with the ball in mid-air, and on the other banner across the street, a basketball hoop is lined up perfectly to receive the ball. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 5 Mar. 2024 Instead, this is the website banner for the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, the wastewater utility that serves some 67,000 homes and businesses, operating and maintaining over 1,400 miles of sewer lines. Werner Trieschmann, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 The series hails from Universal International Studios’ Working Title Television as well as Dunham’s Good Thing Going banner. Joe Otterson, Variety, 1 Mar. 2024 After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, thousands of sympathetic volunteers — largely from the West and post-Soviet states — enlisted under Kyiv’s banner. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2024 As of 2022, Kroger operated more than 2,700 supermarkets and 2,200 retail pharmacies in 36 states, including banners such as Kroger, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and Quality Food Center (QFC), the suit said. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024
Verb
Don’t Look Up and an executive producer on HBO’s Winning Time, is one of the originators of the idea and is producing via his Hyperobject Industries banner along with the company’s Todd Schulman. Borys Kit, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 June 2022 Thue noted that a licensing subcommittee had already voted in favor of granting The Pearl its license — and the commission decided that walk-in traffic and social media were an acceptable substitute for a sign or banner out front. Stefene Russell, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Feb. 2022 Lawrence will executive produce under his Doozer Productions banner along with Jeff Ingold. Joe Otterson, Variety, 13 Oct. 2021 Back at Harry’s, half a dozen Proud Boys marched with a white Black Lives Matter banner down 11th Street toward the churning crowd. Washington Post, 14 Dec. 2020 Yes, there will be ads in the apps, and banner ads as well, but in a briefing, Google declined to state what type of companies will be advertising on the platform or to even cite product categories. Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY, 31 Aug. 2020 Suspects surface: Why not the nearest neighbor, Trump sign bannering his yard, who once groped Jacy and hopes to buy Lincoln’s property? Mameve Medwed, BostonGlobe.com, 25 July 2019 Before a cheering crowd of Cuban-Americans in Miami last June, Trump bannered his harder line on Cuba. Anthony Faiola, Washington Post, 11 May 2018 Class 6A state champion Pope banners the top 10 after defeating No. Craig Sager Jr., ajc, 6 June 2017
Adjective
Investment banking still holds appeal, especially after a banner fourth quarter. Rochelle Toplensky, WSJ, 3 Mar. 2020 The ’70s weren’t exactly banner days for newsroom diversity. Heidi Stevens, chicagotribune.com, 18 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'banner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English baner, banere, borrowed from Anglo-French baner, banere, baniere (also continental Old French), probably from ban "summon to arms by a king or lord" + -iere -er entry 2 — more at ban entry 2

Note: The assumption behind this etymology is that the word may have originally denoted the place where the men called to arms assembled, then the flag or pennant that marked that place. The alternative hypothesis that sees it as ultimately deriving from Gothic bandwa "sign" (see band entry 3) seems less likely. For the relation between this word and Old Occitan bandiera, see the etymology and note at banderole.

Verb

derivative of banner entry 1

Adjective

from attributive use of banner entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1807, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1840, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of banner was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near banner

Cite this Entry

“Banner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banner. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

banner

1 of 2 noun
ban·​ner ˈban-ər How to pronounce banner (audio)
1
2
: a strip of cloth with a design, picture, or writing on it

banner

2 of 2 adjective
: unusually good : outstanding
a banner year for apples

More from Merriam-Webster on banner

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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