German word

verbannen

Pronunciation

IPA/fɛɐ̯ˈbanən/

Meaning

  • verbbanish

Example

Der König verbannt den Verräter.

The king banishes the traitor.

Illustration for verbannen (banish)

More examples

Der Priester verbannt den bösen Geist aus der Kapelle.

The priest banishes the evil spirit from the chapel.

Core concept

A marked person stands outside a city gate, barred from returning and from taking part in its society.

Common phrases

  • jemanden ins Exil verbannen

    banish someone into exile

  • einen Geist verbannen

    banish a spirit

  • jemanden auf Nimmerwiedersehen verbannen

    banish someone for good

Similar words

hinauswerfen: Force someone out of a building or gathering.
wegschicken: Tell someone to go elsewhere and leave the current place.
ausweisen: Authorities formally expel a foreigner from the country.
ausschließen: Remove someone from a group and deny participation or rights.

Definition in German

Offiziell oder faktisch jemanden aus einer Gesellschaft, einem Ort oder einem Land ausschließen und ihm das Verbleiben dort untersagen.

Word origin

The verb comes from Middle High German verbanen, formed from ver- and Bann, an old Germanic term for an authoritative prohibition or decree.

Usage tips

  • Verbannen is a weak verb with the forms verbannte and hat verbannt, and its prefix ver- is inseparable.

Other meanings

  • expelverb
  • ostracizeverb

Opposites

Related words

  • Verbannungbanishmentnoun
  • Verbannterexilenoun

Word lists with this word