Banner has 9 different meanings across 3 categories:
Noun · Adjective · Proper Noun
A flag or standard used by a military commander, monarch or nation.
"The banner never enters any building that displays a Confederate flag."
One who bans something.
In plain English: A banner is a large piece of cloth with words or pictures on it that people hold up to show support for something.
"The city decorated the main street with a huge banner for the festival."
Usage: Use banner to describe a large cloth sign displaying a slogan, logo, or image that hangs from poles or walls, rather than the historical military standard mentioned in older definitions. It is commonly seen at events, protests, or shops where people wave it to show support or advertise a message.
To adorn with a banner.
"The volunteers spent hours painting and hanging colorful banners to adorn the town square for the festival."
In plain English: To banner something means to cover it with a large sign or advertisement.
"The team will banner the goal to celebrate their victory."
Usage: Although you can technically say a building was bannered with flags, this usage is rare and often sounds forced in modern English. It is far more common to use the noun form when describing something decorated with large signs or banners.
Exceptional; very good.
"The team celebrated their banner year after winning every single championship they entered."
In plain English: A banner adjective is used to describe something that is very important, exciting, or impressive.
"The company launched a banner year for its sales."
Usage: Use banner as an adjective only when describing something that is exceptionally successful or outstanding, such as a banner year or a banner performance. Avoid using it to mean physically large or striped unless specifically referring to a decorative cloth sign.
A occupational surname, from occupations for a standard-bearer.
"The local history book noted that several prominent families in the town, including the Banners, carried surnames derived from their ancestors' roles as standard-bearers."
The word banner comes from the Old French baniere, which itself derives from a Germanic root related to "band." It entered English through this French borrowing, carrying its original sense of a long strip of cloth used as a standard or flag.