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band

/bænd/

/bænd/

Other forms: bands; banded; banding

A band is a narrow strip of fabric or some other material, like the head band a little girl wears in her hair. When a patient is admitted to a hospital, she gets a plastic wrist band with her name on it.

There are many different kinds of bands, from rubber bands to wedding bands — what they have in common is being thin and flat, and forming a kind of loop or circle. Other ways to use the word band include to mean musicians who play together or another group with something in common, like a band of thieves. When you band together with others, you join them in a clump or support a common cause.

Definitions of band
  1. noun
    an unofficial association of people or groups
    synonyms: circle, lot, set
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    car pool
    a small group of car drivers who arrange to take turns driving while the others are passengers
    camp, clique, coterie, ingroup, inner circle, pack
    an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
    cohort
    a band of warriors (originally a unit of a Roman Legion)
    confederacy, conspiracy
    a group of conspirators banded together to achieve some harmful or illegal purpose
    Four Hundred
    the exclusive social set of a city
    horsey set, horsy set
    a set of people sharing a devotion to horses and horseback riding and horse racing
    jet set
    a set of rich and fashionable people who travel widely for pleasure
    company, party
    a band of people associated temporarily in some activity
    Bloomsbury Group
    an inner circle of writers and artists and philosophers who lived in or around Bloomsbury early in the 20th century and were noted for their unconventional lifestyles
    bohemia
    a group of artists and writers with real or pretended artistic or intellectual aspirations and usually an unconventional life style
    brain trust, kitchen cabinet
    an inner circle of unofficial advisors to the head of a government
    loop
    an inner circle of advisors (especially under President Reagan)
    cabal, camarilla, faction, junto
    a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue
    junta, military junta
    a group of military officers who rule a country after seizing power
    maffia, mafia
    any tightly knit group of trusted associates
    faction, sect
    a dissenting clique
    fatigue party
    a group of soldiers on fatigue duty
    landing party
    a part of a ship's company organized for special duties ashore
    party to the action, party to the transaction
    a party of people taking a role in legal proceedings
    rescue party
    a party of rescuers
    search party
    a party of people to search for someone
    stretcher party
    a party of people with stretchers to carry an injured person
    war party
    a band of warriors who raid or fight an enemy (used especially of Native Americans)
    galere, rogue's gallery
    a coterie of undesirable people
    hard core
    the most dedicated and intensely loyal nucleus of a group or movement
    type of:
    social group
    people sharing some social relation
  2. noun
    a group of musicians playing popular music for dancing
    synonyms: dance band, dance orchestra
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    big band
    a large dance or jazz band usually featuring improvised solos by lead musicians
    combo, jazz band, jazz group
    a small band of jazz musicians
    rock band, rock group
    a band of musicians who play rock'n'roll music
    steel band
    a band that plays instruments made from the heads of oil drums (Caribbean Islands)
    type of:
    musical group, musical organisation, musical organization
    an organization of musicians who perform together
  3. noun
    instrumentalists not including string players
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    marching band
    a band that marches (as in a parade) and plays music at the same time
    brass band
    a group of musicians playing only brass and percussion instruments
    concert band, military band
    a group of musicians playing brass and woodwind and percussion instruments
    type of:
    musical group, musical organisation, musical organization
    an organization of musicians who perform together
  4. noun
    a stripe or stripes of contrasting color
    “chromosomes exhibit characteristic bands
    “the black and yellow banding of bees and wasps”
    synonyms: banding, stria, striation
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    collar
    (zoology) an encircling band or marking around the neck of any animal
    stretch mark
    a narrow band resulting from tension on the skin (as on abdominal skin after pregnancy)
    type of:
    bar, streak, stripe
    a narrow marking of a different color or texture from the background
  5. noun
    an adornment consisting of a strip of a contrasting color or material
    synonyms: banding, stripe
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    cigar band
    a narrow paper band around a cigar
    hatband
    a band around the crown of a hat just above the brim
    neckband
    a band around the collar of a garment
    pinstripe
    a very thin stripe (especially a white stripe on a dark fabric)
    type of:
    adornment
    a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness
  6. noun
    a thin flat strip of flexible material that is worn around the body or one of the limbs (especially to decorate the body)
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    armband
    a band worn around the upper arm
    arm band, armlet
    a band worn around the arm for decoration
    backband
    a broad band that passes over the back of a horse and supports the shafts of a vehicle
    bellyband
    a cloth band that is worn around the waist (as on infants until the navel has healed)
    collar, neckband
    a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
    collar
    a band of leather or rope that is placed around an animal's neck as a harness or to identify it
    garter, supporter
    a band (usually elastic) worn around the leg to hold up a stocking (or around the arm to hold up a sleeve)
    cincture, girdle, sash, waistband, waistcloth
    a band of material around the waist that strengthens a skirt or trousers
    headband
    a band worn around or over the head
    headpiece, headstall
    the band that is the part of a bridle that fits around a horse's head
    hoop, ring
    a rigid circular band of metal or wood or other material used for holding or fastening or hanging or pulling
    elastic, elastic band, rubber band
    a narrow band of elastic rubber used to hold things (such as papers) together
    shoulder strap, strap
    a band that goes over the shoulder and supports a garment or bag
    sweatband
    a band of fabric or leather sewn inside the crown of a hat
    sweatband
    a band of material tied around the forehead or wrist to absorb sweat
    bracelet, watch bracelet, watchband, watchstrap, wristband
    a band of cloth or leather or metal links attached to a wristwatch and wrapped around the wrist
    mourning band, weed
    a black band worn by a man (on the arm or hat) as a sign of mourning
    wristband
    band consisting of a part of a sleeve that covers the wrist
    wrist band, wristlet
    a band or bracelet worn around the wrist
    carabiner, karabiner, snap ring
    an oblong metal ring with a spring clip; used in mountaineering to attach a rope to a piton or to connect two ropes
    choker, neck ruff, ruff, ruffle
    a high tight collar
    Roman collar, clerical collar, dog collar
    a stiff white collar with no opening in the front; a distinctive symbol of the clergy
    collar
    a short ring fastened over a rod or shaft to limit, guide, or secure a machine part
    cummerbund
    a broad pleated sash worn as formal dress with a tuxedo
    curtain ring
    a circular ring for holding up a curtain
    dog collar
    a collar for a dog
    Eton collar
    broad white collar worn over the lapels of a jacket
    key ring
    a circular ring of metal for holding keys
    napkin ring
    a circular band used to hold a particular person's napkin
    nose ring
    a ring worn on the nose as an ornament or on the nose of an animal to control it
    Peter Pan collar
    a flat collar with rounded ends that meet in front
    rabato, rebato
    a wired or starched collar of intricate lace; worn in 17th century
    rim
    the outer part of a wheel to which the tire is attached
    rim
    (basketball) the hoop from which the net is suspended
    fillet, taenia, tenia
    a narrow headband or strip of ribbon worn as a headband
    tire, tyre
    hoop that covers a wheel
    towel ring
    a circular hoop for holding a towel
    polo-neck collar, turtleneck collar
    a high close-fitting turnover collar
    type of:
    slip, strip
    artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material
  7. noun
    jewelry consisting of a circlet of precious metal (often set with jewels) worn on the finger
    “he noted that she wore a wedding band
    synonyms: ring
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    annulet
    a small ring
    engagement ring
    a ring given and worn as a sign of betrothal
    mourning ring
    a ring worn as a memorial to a dead person
    ringlet
    a small ring
    seal ring, signet ring
    a ring bearing a signet
    wedding band, wedding ring
    a ring (usually plain gold) given to the bride (and sometimes one is also given to the groom) at the wedding
    type of:
    jewellery, jewelry
    an adornment (as a bracelet or ring or necklace) made of precious metals and set with gems (or imitation gems)
  8. noun
    a strip of material attached to the leg of a bird to identify it (as in studies of bird migration)
    synonyms: ring
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    slip, strip
    artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material
  9. noun
    a thin flat strip or loop of flexible material that goes around or over something else, typically to hold it together or as a decoration
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    slip, strip
    artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material
    loop
    anything with a round or oval shape (formed by a curve that is closed and does not intersect itself)
  10. noun
    a restraint put around something to hold it together
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    brake band
    a band that can be tightened around a shaft to stop its rotation
    collet
    a band or collar that holds an individual stone in a jewelry setting
    ligature
    a metal band used to attach a reed to the mouthpiece of a clarinet or saxophone
    withe
    band or rope made of twisted twigs or stems
    type of:
    constraint, restraint
    a device that impede's something's motion
  11. noun
    a driving belt in machinery
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    belt
    endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
  12. verb
    bind or tie together, as with a band
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    type of:
    bind, tie
    fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord
  13. verb
    attach a ring to the foot of, in order to identify
    band the geese to observe their migratory patterns”
    synonyms: ring
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    type of:
    attach
    cause to be attached
  14. noun
    a cord-like tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure
    synonyms: isthmus
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    tissue
    part of an organism consisting of an aggregate of cells having a similar structure and function
  15. noun
    a range of frequencies between two limits
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    frequency band, waveband
    a band of adjacent radio frequencies (e.g., assigned for transmitting radio or television signals)
    type of:
    range
    a variety of different things or activities
Pronunciation
US

/bænd/

UK

/bænd/

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