band

BAND/bænd/

Pluralbands

Verbbands, banding, banded

25 meanings of band

Practice

1
nouncountable
A group of people who play music together.
Like a sports team, but they make music together instead of playing a game.
Their band played three songs before the lights came on.
She joined a local band as the new drummer.
UsageSay play in a band.
Similargroup, ensemble
Note
2
group (shared aim)nouncountable
A group of people who join together for the same purpose.
Like a team of people working toward one goal.
A band of volunteers cleared the trail after the storm.
The outlaws formed a small band and robbed the mail coach.
UsageSay a band of volunteers.
Similargroup, gang, party, crew, troop
Note
3
nouncountable
A thin strip of material that goes around something to hold it, make it stronger, or decorate it.
Like a rubber loop holding a bunch of pencils together.
A band held the bundle of letters tightly together.
He slipped a thick band around the rolled-up posters.
UsageSay a rubber band.
Similarstrip, strap, loop, hoop, ring
Note
4
ringnounUScountable
A ring you wear, like a wedding ring, or a small ring put on a bird's leg.
He slipped a gold band onto her finger during the ceremony.
The researcher fitted a small band to the sparrow's leg.
UsageSay a wedding band.
Similarring
Note
5
nouncountable
A stripe of a different color or pattern across something.
Like a stripe on a flag that stands out from the rest.
A dark band of clouds stretched across the horizon.
The pottery had a red band painted around its rim.
UsageSay a band of red.
Similarstripe, streak, strip, layer
6
frequency rangenouncountable
One section of the range of radio waves or light.
Like one lane on a wide road full of waves.
Radios here pick up signals on a narrow band.
Most music stations in our city broadcast on the FM band.
UsageSay on the FM band.
Similarrange
Note
7
uniteverbintransitive
To come together as a group for the same purpose.
Like ants joining together to carry a big crumb.
The kids banded together to build a treehouse.
When trouble comes, people often band together to help.
UsageSay band together.
Similarunite, team, join, ally, combine
Oppositesplit, separate
Note
8
nouncountable
A group of numbers, like ages or prices, that counts as one level in a set of levels.
Tickets in the cheapest price band sold out first.
Your age band decides which swimming class you join.
Similarbracket, tier, grade, range
Note

Less common meanings

9
mark birdsverbtransitive
To put a small ring on a bird's leg so it can be known later.
Like putting a name tag on a pet so people know it later.
Scientists band birds to learn where they fly.
He banded the young eagle at the nest.
UsageSay scientists band birds.
Similarring, tag
Note
10
machine beltnouncountable
A belt or strap inside a machine.
Like the chain on a bicycle that makes the wheels turn.
The mechanic replaced the worn band that drives the saw blade.
The band that turns the pulley had stretched and slipped.
Similarbelt, strap
11
tie upverbtransitive
To tie or hold something using a band.
Like wrapping a rubber loop around a bunch of pens to keep them together.
We band the boxes shut so nothing falls out.
He banded the stack of cards with a rubber loop.
UsageSay band them together.
Similartie, strap, bind, fasten
12
simple societynouncountable
A small group of people who live together in a simple society, not a tribe or nation.
Like a small group of families traveling together, smaller than a whole town.
Each band moved across the land to follow the animals they hunted.
A small band might include only a few families living close together.
Note
13
thousand dollarsnounslangcountableplural
A thousand dollars in cash, or money in general.
Like a thick roll of bills, each worth a thousand dollars.
She made a band last week selling her old furniture.
The sneakers set him back two bands.
Similargrand, stack
Note
14
energy levelsnouncountable
A group of energy levels that electrons can have inside a solid material.
Like steps on a ladder that electrons are allowed to stand on.
In a metal, the highest band is only partly full of electrons.
Electrons must jump to a higher band to carry electric current.
Note
15
lab test linenouncountable
A line or stripe that shows up when scientists separate the parts of a mixture.
Like a stripe of color that appears where something settles.
Each band on the gel showed a different protein.
The gel showed a clear band where the DNA had stopped moving.
Similarline
Note
16
First Nations councilnounCanadaabbreviationellipsis
Short for band government. It means the elected council that runs a First Nations community.
The band voted to build a new community center this year.
The band voted to build a new health center on the reserve.
Note
17
sort by abilityverbtransitive
To put students into groups based on how well they are thought to do.
This year the school banded us by our test results, so I moved to a new class.
Some parents think it is unfair to band children when they are only seven.
UsageOften passive: students are banded.
Similarstream, set, track, group
Note
18
collar tabs (robes)nouncountableplural
Two strips of white cloth worn hanging at the front of the neck as part of some formal robes.
Like a pair of cloth strips worn at the neck instead of a tie.
The judge wore white bands at his neck under his robe.
Each band hung straight down the front of the priest's robe.
Note
19
ruff collarnouncountable
A linen collar or ruff worn around the neck in the 1500s and 1600s.
Like a fancy collar people wore long ago instead of a tie.
The portrait from the 1600s shows a man wearing a stiff linen band.
In the play set in 1620, the actors wore white linen bands at their necks.
Similarcollar, ruff
20
nounobsolete
A tie, chain, or duty that binds or holds someone.
Note
21
nounobsolete
A promise or something given to guarantee a debt or a deal.
He sent to her his basenet as a faithfull band.
1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie QueeneHere, band means a pledge, something given to guarantee a promise.
Note
22
nounarchaic
Something that connects people closely, like a strong feeling between them.
For that heroic band—those children of the furnace who, in regions like Texas and Tennessee, maintained their fidelity through terrible trials—we of the North felt for them, and profoundly we honor them.
1866, Herman Melville, Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War
23
noun
A strip along the back edge of a book where the pages are held.
24
noun
A molding or set of moldings that wraps around a pillar or thin shaft.
25
noun
Short for band cell. It is a young white blood cell that is not yet fully developed.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of band apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 3–6, 8–11, 13–15, 18–21

This came from Old English words meaning a bond, chain, or ribbon, from an old root meaning "to tie." It is related to bond, bind, and bend.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

Band descends from Old English forms meaning a bond, chain, or ribbon. en.wiktionary.org
Its ancient root meant to tie. en.wiktionary.org
Band is related to bond. en.wiktionary.org
Band and bind share the same ancient root. en.wiktionary.org
Band and bend share the same ancient root. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 1–2, 7, 12, 16–17

This came through Old French bande and Old Occitan banda, meaning a group of troops, perhaps from a Frankish word linked to an old root meaning "to tie."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

The sense came through Old French bande and Old Occitan banda. en.wiktionary.org
Old Occitan banda meant a group of troops. en.wiktionary.org
A Frankish origin is proposed as a possibility. en.wiktionary.org
The proposed Germanic ancestry leads to a root meaning to tie. en.wiktionary.org