The meaning of BANE is a source of harm or ruin : curse. How to use bane in a sentence.

uk / beɪn / us / beɪn / the bane of something Add to word list a cause of continuous trouble or unhappiness:

bane (beɪn) n 1. a person or thing that causes misery or distress (esp in the phrase bane of one's life) 2. something that causes death or destruction

The bane of someone or the bane of someone's life is something that frequently makes them feel unhappy or annoyed. Rain is the bane of holiday-makers. Spots can be the bane of a teenager's life.

BANE definition: a person or thing that ruins or spoils. See examples of bane used in a sentence.

Definition of bane noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

The ugly school uniforms were the bane of the students' lives. She was the bane of my existence. [=she made my life very unhappy, difficult, etc.]

Dec 14, 2025 · bane (countable and uncountable, plural banes) (countable) A cause of misery or ruin. synonyms, antonym quotations Synonyms: blight, affliction, curse, undoing, downfall Antonym: boon …

From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English bane /beɪn/ noun [singular] something that causes trouble or makes people unhappy be the bane of something Drugs are the bane of the inner cities. …

The noun bane refers to anything that is a cause of harm, ruin, or death. But we often use it for things that aren't that bad, just feel like it. You might say mosquitoes are the bane of your existence.