bandwagon
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A popular trend that attracts growing support.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
bandwaguhnSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈbændwæɡən
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
A popular trend that attracts growing support
“When they saw how things were going everybody jumped on the bandwagon.”
figuratively
A current movement that attracts wide support.
A large ornate wagon for carrying a musical band
“The gaudy bandwagon led the circus parade.”
A large wagon used to carry a band of musicians in a parade.
verb
figuratively
To join a bandwagon (a current movement that attracts wide support).
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Formality
- Technical
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A popular trend that attracts growing support
Used this way, bandwagon is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
“When they saw how things were going everybody jumped on the bandwagon.”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Popular / currentnoun
“When they saw how things were going everybody jumped on the bandwagon.”
Largenoun
“The gaudy bandwagon led the circus parade.”
More ways to use bandwagon
- “The gaudy bandwagon led the circus parade.”noun
- “When they saw how things were going everybody jumped on the bandwagon.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The phenomenon of a popular trend attracting even greater popularity.
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Words can change meaning depending on context.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.