Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Language: Old English
Origin: bannan 'to command people to come'

ban

2 verb
     
ban2 past tense and past participle banned, present participle banning [transitive]
to say that something must not be done, seen, used etc [= prohibit; ≠ allow]:
Smoking is banned in the building.
ban somebody from doing something
Charlie's been banned from driving for a year.
a banned substance/drug (=a drug that people competing in a sport are not allowed to take because it improves their performance)
—banning noun [uncountable]
the banning of trade unions
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
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