band

The word “band” means a group of musicians who perform together. In plain terms, a group of musicians, a binding strip of material, a category on a scale, or (as a verb) to group together.

“Band” is pronounced band (/bænd/ in IPA).

Here is “band” used in a sentence: “The band played three encores before the crowd let them leave.”

Depending on how it is used, “band” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “band” comes from Old French. From Old English bend and reinforced by Old French bande, both descending from a Proto-Germanic word for "binding" — related to "bind" and "bond.".

“Band” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Band” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a group of musicians who perform together.

Both are groups of musicians, but they differ in size and instruments. An orchestra is large and built around string instruments, led by a conductor and common in classical music. A band is usually smaller and centred on other instruments — guitars, brass or percussion — as in rock, jazz or marching bands.

There are many. Rock and pop bands centre on guitars, bass and drums; jazz bands feature brass and improvisation; marching and brass bands play wind and percussion instruments; and tribute or cover bands recreate other artists' music. Each shares the core idea of musicians performing together.

There is no fixed number. Many rock and pop bands have three to five members — often a singer, guitarist, bassist and drummer — but a band can be as small as two or, in the case of large marching bands, number dozens of players. Size depends on the style of music.

A band is a group of musicians who write and perform together, sharing the stage and often the songwriting. A solo artist performs under their own name, even if backing musicians support them. The key difference is identity: a band is a collective, a solo artist is one named performer.