What does banish mean?
To banish is to force someone to leave a place — typically a country or community — by formal decree, with an explicit prohibition against returning. Historically associated with kings, courts, and parliaments punishing traitors, criminals, or political rivals, banishment was often considered a fate nearly as severe as death: the condemned lost their home, status, and ties of kinship in one stroke. Beyond its legal and historical sense, banish also applies figuratively to intangible things, allowing speakers to say they banish doubts, fears, regrets, or unwanted memories. In this second sense the word carries a connotation of decisive, even forceful removal — one does not gently set aside a worry but actively drives it out. Banish is a transitive verb and usually appears with the preposition 'from' when naming the territory a person is expelled from, or 'to' when specifying the destination of exile. Its enduring power lies in its drama: few words so vividly convey total, authoritative rejection.
To compel someone to leave a country, region, or community by official decree, prohibiting their return.
"The senate voted to banish the conspirator from Rome forever."
Typically followed by 'from' (the territory) and sometimes 'to' (the place of exile).
To drive away or dispel something immaterial, such as a fear, doubt, or unpleasant thought.
"He banished every trace of self-doubt before his final exam."
In medieval England, being 'banished' meant legally ceasing to exist in the eyes of your homeland — your property was seized and returning meant death.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of banish
Banish entered English in the late Middle Ages, borrowed from Old French 'baniss-', a lengthened stem related to 'ban', the Germanic-derived term for a formal proclamation or decree issued by a lord or ruler. Underlying this is the Frankish root *ban, meaning command or proclamation, which also gives English words such as 'ban' itself. The original logic of the word is literal: to be banished is to be expelled by public edict. Related Romance forms include Italian 'bannire' and Spanish 'desterrar' concepts rooted in the same idea of outlawry by proclamation.
Related word forms
How banish is actually used
Banish carries a formal, weighty register when applied to people, evoking law, authority, and historical or literary contexts such as exiled royalty or disgraced nobles. When applied to thoughts or emotions it becomes more figurative and appears frequently in self-help and everyday language ('banish negativity'), where it retains a slightly dramatic tone. The word almost always implies permanence or long duration, distinguishing it from milder terms like 'send away'.
Easily confused with banish
A bandage is a strip of cloth used to bind a wound; banish means to expel someone from a place — they merely share a similar opening sound and are otherwise unrelated.