Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A small country that is economically dependent on a single export commodity, such as bananas, and is typically governed by a dictator or the armed forces.
Wiktionary
- n. politics, idiomatic A small country, especially one in Central America, that is dependent on a single export commodity (traditionally bananas) and that has a corrupt, dictatorial government.
WordNet 3.0
- n. a small country (especially in Central America) that is politically unstable and whose economy is dominated by foreign companies and depends on one export (such as bananas)
Etymologies
- Coined by American author O. Henry in his 1904 book of short stories, "Cabbages and Kings", set in the fictional "Anchuria", which was based on his 1896-97 stay in Honduras. (Wiktionary)
Examples
Sorry, no example sentences found.
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘banana republic’.
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This List is Bananas
Here you will find cultivars, of course, but also diseases, dishes, and uses.
Cavendish, banana, bananas, non-Cavendish, Big Mike, Gros Michel, banana boat, yes, we have no b..., yes we have no ba..., let's make like a..., banana bread, banana republic and 135 more...
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AFET - diplomacy - noun+noun collocat...
accession negotia..., accreditation check, adversary adviser, arms-control treaty, candidate country, career diplomat, cartography channel, charm offensive, client state, conspiracy theory, counter-intellige..., courtesy shuttle and 95 more...
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• Fruitie
Fruit-related metaphors.
The list name is a tribute to gangerh's Numberie.pear shaped, upset the applecart, apple-pie order, apple-polisher, grapeshot, cut the melon, plum tired, through the grape..., nuttier than a pe..., apple-of-my-eye, just peachy, cracked the nut and 41 more...
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states of mind: from absurdistan to zion
Countries, lands, cities that capture, or haunt, our dreams. Some of the places listed might be the names of actual localities, but here they are states of mind.
absurdistan, banana republic, utopia, mitteleuropa, new jerusalem, deseret, canaan, zion, ruritania, outer slobovia, lower slobovia, avalon and 126 more...
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Tickles my humerus
I find these to be inherently funny.
cow tipping, bumblebee, homoscedasticity, seattle, wagga wagga, booby, pants, guacamole, poodle, fanny pack, nincompoop, svenborgia and 161 more...
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Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
discovered while reading this book.
tendril, spiraea, political asylum, bristly, sordid, reel, garish, dulcitude, gait, charlatan, lapel, august and 96 more...
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Loaded Words Part Deux: Two Words Tha...
See also the list Loaded Words (wordnik.com/lists/loaded-words). Two ordinary words (i.e. not proper nouns--Berlin wall or Utah beach wouldn't fit here) that not only combine to make a third concep...
cotton gin, wagon trail, gold rush, democratic republic, wounded knee, wage slavery, rat race, manifest destiny, eminent domain, pork barrel, gateway drug, talking points and 43 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for banana republic.

stevenand this is also a retail store. can you put this definition please!!! Apr 6, 2009