Phrase guide

green ban

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

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Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A ban instigated by a trade union on construction or demolition work on a site deemed to be of cultural, historical or environmental significance.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Australia, UK

Examples

  • 1978 June, Harvey Wasserman, Unionizing Ecotopia, Mother Jones, page 32, A unique and important coalition between environmentalists and labor unions has come about in Australia, in a movement known as “the Green Bans.” [...] Essentially the Green Ban is a labor veto of socially and ecologically unsound plans. [...] After careful consideration and a public meeting, the union posted a Green Ban, refusing to build on Kelly′s Bush.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From green (“environmentally friendly”) + ban. First attested in Australia in 1973.