band

[ band ]

/ bænd /

noun

a company of persons or, sometimes, animals or things, joined, acting, or functioning together; aggregation; party; troop: a band of protesters.

Music.

a group of instrumentalists playing music of a specialized type: rock band; calypso band; mariachi band.
a musical group, usually employing brass, percussion, and often woodwind instruments, that plays especially for marching or open-air performances.
big band.
dance band.

a division of a nomadic tribe; a group of individuals who move and camp together and subsist by hunting and gathering.

a group of persons living outside the law: a renegade band.

verb (used with object)

to unite in a troop, company, or confederacy.

verb (used without object)

to unite; confederate (often followed by together): They banded together to oust the chairman.

Idioms for band

to beat the band, Informal. energetically; abundantly: It rained all day to beat the band.

Origin of band

1480–90; < Middle French bande < Italian banda; cognate with Late Latin bandum < Germanic; akin to Gothic bandwa standard, band², band³, bend¹, bond¹

SYNONYMS FOR band

1 gang, group; body; set; society, association, assembly.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR band ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for band

1. See company.

Words nearby band

bancassurance, bancassurer, banco, bancroft, bancroft prize, band, band brake, band cell, band list, band mill, band of hope

Definition for band (2 of 4)

band ²

[ band ]

/ bænd /

noun

a thin, flat strip of some material for binding, confining, trimming, protecting, etc.: a band on each bunch of watercress.

a fillet, belt, or strap: a band for the hair; a band for connecting pulleys.

a stripe, as of color or decorative work.

a strip of paper or other material serving as a label: a cigar band.

a plain or simply styled ring, without mounted gems or the like: a thin gold band on his finger.

(on a long-playing phonograph record) one of a set of grooves in which sound has been recorded, separated from an adjacent set or sets by grooves without recorded sound.

bands. Geneva bands.

a flat collar commonly worn by men and women in the 17th century in western Europe.

Also called frequency band, wave band. Radio and Television. a specific range of frequencies, especially a set of radio frequencies, as HF, VHF, and UHF.

Also called energy band. Physics. a closely spaced group of energy levels of electrons in a solid.

Computers. one or more tracks or channels on a magnetic drum.

Dentistry. a strip of thin metal encircling a tooth, usually for anchoring an orthodontic apparatus.

Anatomy, Zoology. a ribbonlike or cordlike structure encircling, binding, or connecting a part or parts.

(in handbound books) one of several cords of hemp or flax handsewn across the back of the collated signatures of a book to provide added strength.

verb (used with object)

to mark, decorate, or furnish with a band or bands.

Origin of band

1480–90; < Middle French; Old French bende < Germanic; compare Old High German binta fillet. See bind, band¹

OTHER WORDS FROM band

band·er, noun band·less, adjective

Definition for band (3 of 4)

band ³

[ band ]

/ bænd /

noun Archaic.

Usually bands. articles for binding the person or the limbs; shackles; manacles; fetters.

an obligation; bond: the nuptial bands.

Origin of band

1100–50; late Old English < Old Norse band; cognate with Old Saxon, Old Frisian band, Old High German bant; akin to Sanskrit bandha-. See band¹

Definition for band (4 of 4)

Geneva bands

plural noun

two bands or pendent stripes made usually of white lawn and worn at the throat as part of clerical garb, originally by the Swiss Calvinist clergy.

Also called bands.

Origin of Geneva bands

First recorded in 1880–85

Example sentences from the Web for band

The band turned back around, raising a lively tune to signal life would go on.

Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss |Michael Daly |January 5, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The band was still on its way back as De Blasio and his wife departed.

Funeral Protest Is Too Much for NYPD Union Boss |Michael Daly |January 5, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Every other band I had been in had been pretty loud, you could never hear the vocals.

Deer Tick's John McCauley on Ten Years in Rock and Roll |James Joiner |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Cuban hip-hop has evolved as well, both Edgar and Julio talk about the band Los Aldeanos as the new generation of Cuban hip-hop.

Cuban Hip-Hop Was Born in Alamar |Daniel Levin |December 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

We arrived to the din of a party in full swing: a band, multiple kegs of beer, dancing, foosball, and mantle diving.

I Was Gang Raped at a UVA Frat 30 Years Ago, and No One Did Anything |Liz Seccuro |December 16, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
With a band of relatives he invaded the convent, but neither abuse nor blows could subdue this child of fourteen.

Life of St. Francis of Assisi |Paul Sabatier
This band has made extensive tours and has scored phenomenal success everywhere it has played.

The Journal of Negro History, Volume 2, 1917 |Various
The night swallowed them up; and Eileen sat waiting, whilst the band played softly and voices chatted incessantly around her.

The Haunting of Low Fennel |Sax Rohmer
Jakin and Lew were attached to the Band as supernumeraries, though they would much have preferred being company buglers.

Soldiers Three, Part II. |Rudyard Kipling
Two of the band managed to escape that night, but the other fourteen were safely lodged in prison.

The Fugitives |R.M. Ballantyne

British Dictionary definitions for band (1 of 4)

band ¹

/ (bænd) /

noun

a company of people having a common purpose; group a band of outlaws

a group of musicians playing either brass and percussion instruments only (brass band) or brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments (concert band or military band)

a group of musicians who play popular music, jazz, etc, often for dancing

a group of instrumentalists generally; orchestra

Canadian a formally recognized group of Canadian Indians on a reserve

anthropol a division of a tribe; a family group or camp group

US and Canadian a flock or herd

verb

(usually foll by together) to unite; assemble

Word Origin for band

C15: from French bande probably from Old Provençal banda of Germanic origin; compare Gothic bandwa sign, banner

British Dictionary definitions for band (2 of 4)

band ²

/ (bænd) /

noun

a thin flat strip of some material, used esp to encircle objects and hold them together a rubber band

a strip of fabric or other material used as an ornament or distinguishing mark, or to reinforce clothing
(in combination)waistband; hairband; hatband

a stripe of contrasting colour or texture See also chromosome band

a driving belt in machinery

a range of values that are close or related in number, degree, or quality

physics a range of frequencies or wavelengths between two limits
radio such a range allocated to a particular broadcasting station or service

short for energy band

computing one or more tracks on a magnetic disk or drum

anatomy any structure resembling a ribbon or cord that connects, encircles, or binds different parts

the cords to which the folded sheets of a book are sewn

a thin layer or seam of ore

architect a strip of flat panelling, such as a fascia or plinth, usually attached to a wall

a large white collar, sometimes edged with lace, worn in the 17th century

either of a pair of hanging extensions of the collar, forming part of academic, legal, or (formerly) clerical dress

a ring for the finger (esp in phrases such as wedding band, band of gold, etc)

verb (tr)

to fasten or mark with a band

US and Canadian to ring (a bird) See ring 1 (def. 22)

Word Origin for band

C15: from Old French bende, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German binda fillet; see band ³

British Dictionary definitions for band (3 of 4)

band ³

/ (bænd) /

noun

an archaic word for bond (def. 1), bond (def. 3), bond (def. 4)

Word Origin for band

C13: from Old Norse band; related to Old High German bant fetter; see bend 1, bond

British Dictionary definitions for band (4 of 4)

Geneva bands

pl n

a pair of white lawn or linen strips hanging from the front of the neck or collar of some ecclesiastical and academic robes

Word Origin for Geneva bands

C19: named after Geneva, where originally worn by Swiss Calvinist clergy

Medical definitions for band

band

[ bănd ]

n.

An appliance or a part of an apparatus that encircles or binds a part of the body.

A cordlike tissue that connects or that holds bodily structures together.

A chromatically, structurally, or functionally differentiated strip or stripe in or on an organism.

Scientific definitions for band

band

[ bănd ]

A specific range of electromagnetic wavelengths or frequencies, as those used in radio broadcasting.

Idioms and Phrases with band

band

see on the bandwagon; to beat the band.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

band

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Idioms for band

Origin of band

SYNONYMS FOR band

synonym study for band

Words nearby band

Definition for band (2 of 4)

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of band

OTHER WORDS FROM band

Definition for band (3 of 4)

noun Archaic.

Origin of band

Definition for band (4 of 4)

plural noun

Origin of Geneva bands

Words related to band

Example sentences from the Web for band

British Dictionary definitions for band (1 of 4)

noun

verb

Word Origin for band

British Dictionary definitions for band (2 of 4)

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin for band

British Dictionary definitions for band (3 of 4)

noun

Word Origin for band

British Dictionary definitions for band (4 of 4)

pl n

Word Origin for Geneva bands

Medical definitions for band

n.

Scientific definitions for band

Idioms and Phrases with band