band

UK: /ˈbænd/ US: /bænd/ ,(band)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

band¹ /bænd/   n. [countable]

1. a group of persons, animals, or things acting or working together:
   a band of protesters.
2. • a group of musicians who play chiefly brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments:
     a school band.
3. a musical group of a specialized type:
   a rock band.

v. 

4. to unite in a troop, company, or group: [no object]
   The men banded together to look for the lost child.
   [~ + object]
   The men were banded together to chase the outlaws out of town.

band² /bænd/   n. 

[countable]
1. a thin, flat strip of material, used esp. for fastening, binding, or as decoration:
   The hat had a band of ribbon.
2. a stripe, as of color:
   white paper with a red band.
3. Jewelry a plain or simply styled ring:
   a gold wedding band.
4. Telecommunications, Radio and Television a specific range of frequencies, esp. a set of radio frequencies.

v. [~ + object]

5. to mark with or attach a band to:
   The farmer banded the carrots in bunches.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

band¹  (band), n. 

1. a company of persons or, sometimes, animals or things, joined, acting, or functioning together;
   aggregation;
   party;
   troop:
   a band of protesters.
2. Music and Dance
   • 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 esp. for marching or open-air performances.
   • See big band. 
   • See dance band. 
3. Anthropology a division of a nomadic tribe;
   a group of individuals who move and camp together and subsist by hunting and gathering.
4. a group of persons living outside the law:
   a renegade band.
5. Idioms to beat the band, [Informal.] energetically;
   abundantly:
   It rained all day to beat the band.

v.t. 

6. to unite in a troop, company, or confederacy.

v.i. 

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

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

Synonyms

• 1. gang, group; body; set; society, association, assembly. See company. 

band²  (band), n. 

1. a thin, flat strip of some material for binding, confining, trimming, protecting, etc.:
   a band on each bunch of watercress.
2. a fillet, belt, or strap:
   a band for the hair; a band for connecting pulleys.
3. a stripe, as of color or decorative work.
4. a strip of paper or other material serving as a label:
   a cigar band.
5. Jewelry a plain or simply styled ring, without mounted gems or the like:
   a thin gold band on his finger.
6. Sound Reproduction (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.
7. bands. See Geneva bands. 
8. Clothing a flat collar commonly worn by men and women in the 17th century in western Europe.
9. Telecommunications, Radio and Television Also called frequency band, wave band. [Radio and Television.] a specific range of frequencies, esp. a set of radio frequencies, as HF, VHF, and UHF.
10. Physics Also called energy band. a closely spaced group of energy levels of electrons in a solid.
11. Computing one or more tracks or channels on a magnetic drum.
12. Dentistry a strip of thin metal encircling a tooth, usually for anchoring an orthodontic apparatus.
13. Anatomy, Zoology a ribbonlike or cordlike structure encircling, binding, or connecting a part or parts.
14. Printing (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.

v.t. 

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

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

band′er, n. 
band′less, adj. 

band³  (band), n. [Archaic.]

1. Usually, bands. articles for binding the person or the limbs;
   shackles;
   manacles;
   fetters.
2. an obligation;
   bond:
   the nuptial bands.

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

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

band / bænd/ noun

1. a company of people having a common purpose; group: a band of outlaws
2. a group of musicians playing either brass and percussion instruments only (brass band) or brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments (concert band or military band)
3. a group of musicians who play popular music, jazz, etc, often for dancing
4. a group of instrumentalists generally; orchestra
5. a formally recognized group of Native Canadians on a reserve

verb

1. (usually followed by together) to unite; assemble

Etymology: 15th Century: from French bande probably from Old Provençal banda of Germanic origin; compare Gothic bandwa sign, banner

band / bænd/ noun

1. a thin flat strip of some material, used esp to encircle objects and hold them together: a rubber band
2. a strip of fabric or other material used as an ornament or distinguishing mark, or to reinforce clothing
3. (in combination): waistband, hairband, hatband
4. a stripe of contrasting colour or texture
5. a driving belt in machinery
6. a range of values that are close or related in number, degree, or quality
7. a range of frequencies or wavelengths between two limits
8. such a range allocated to a particular broadcasting station or service
9. short for energy band
10. one or more tracks on a magnetic disk or drum
11. any structure resembling a ribbon or cord that connects, encircles, or binds different parts
12. the cords to which the folded sheets of a book are sewn
13. a thin layer or seam of ore
14. a strip of flat panelling, such as a fascia or plinth, usually attached to a wall
15. a large white collar, sometimes edged with lace, worn in the 17th century
16. either of a pair of hanging extensions of the collar, forming part of academic, legal, or (formerly) clerical dress
17. a ring for the finger (esp in phrases such as wedding band, band of gold, etc)

verb (transitive)

1. to fasten or mark with a band
2. to ring (a bird)
   See ring122

Etymology: 15th Century: from Old French bende, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German binda fillet; see band³

band / bænd/ noun

1. an archaic word for bond1,

Etymology: 13th Century: from Old Norse band; related to Old High German bant fetter; see bend¹, bond