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.

Primary Meanings of band

an unofficial association of people or groups
a stripe or stripes of contrasting color
bind or tie together, as with a band
a range of frequencies between two limits
Full Definitions of band

n an unofficial association of people or groups

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
a band of warriors (originally a unit of a Roman Legion)
confederacy, conspiracy
Four Hundred
the exclusive social set of a city
horsey set, horsy set
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
brain trust, kitchen cabinet
an inner circle of unofficial advisors to the head of a government
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
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

n a group of musicians playing popular music for dancing

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
Type of:
musical group, musical organisation, musical organization
an organization of musicians who perform together

n instrumentalists not including string players

marching band
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

n a stripe or stripes of contrasting color

“chromosomes exhibit characteristic bands
“the black and yellow banding of bees and wasps”
banding, stria, striation
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

n an adornment consisting of a strip of a contrasting color or material

banding, stripe
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cigar band
a narrow paper band around a cigar
a band around the crown of a hat just above the brim
a band around the collar of a garment
Type of:
a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness


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a band worn around the upper arm
arm band, armlet
a band worn around the arm for decoration
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
garter, supporter
cincture, girdle, sash, waistband, waistcloth
a band worn around or over the head
headpiece, headstall
hoop, ring
elastic, elastic band, rubber band
shoulder strap, strap
a band of fabric or leather sewn inside the crown of a hat
a band of material tied around the forehead or wrist to absorb sweat
bracelet, watch bracelet, watchband, watchstrap, wristband
mourning band, weed
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
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
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
Peter Pan collar
a flat collar with rounded ends that meet in front
rabato, rebato
the outer part of a wheel to which the tire is attached
(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


“he noted that she wore a wedding band
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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
a small ring
seal ring, signet ring
a ring bearing a signet
wedding band, wedding ring
Type of:
jewellery, jewelry


Type of:
slip, strip
artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material


Type of:
slip, strip
artifact consisting of a narrow flat piece of material

n 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
a band or collar that holds an individual stone in a jewelry setting
band or rope made of twisted twigs or stems
Type of:
constraint, restraint
a device that retards something's motion

n a driving belt in machinery

Type of:
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys

v bind or tie together, as with a band

Type of:
bind, tie
fasten or secure with a rope, string, or cord

v attach a ring to the foot of, in order to identify

band the geese to observe their migratory patterns”
Type of:
cause to be attached

n a cord-like tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure

Type of:

n a range of frequencies between two limits

frequency band, waveband
a band of adjacent radio frequencies (e.g., assigned for transmitting radio or television signals)
Type of:
a variety of different things or activities

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