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.

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

British Dictionary definitions for to beat the band (1 of 3)

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 to beat the band (2 of 3)

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 to beat the band (3 of 3)

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

Medical definitions for to beat the 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 to beat the band

band

[ bănd ]

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

Idioms and Phrases with to beat the band (1 of 2)

to beat the band

Also, to beat all. To the greatest possible degree. For example, The baby was crying to beat the band, or The wind is blowing to beat the band, or John is dressed up to beat all. This idiom uses beat in the sense of “surpass.” The first term may, according to one theory, allude to a desire to arrive before the musicians who led a parade, so as to see the entire event. Another theory holds that it means “make more noise than (and thereby beat) a loud band.” [Colloquial; late 1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with to beat the band (2 of 2)

band

see on the bandwagon; to beat the band.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

band