rubber band

American  

noun

1. a narrow, circular or oblong band of rubber, used for holding things together, as papers or a box and its lid.

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rubber band British  

noun

1. Also called: elastic band.  a continuous loop of thin rubber, used to hold papers, etc, together

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Usage

What else does rubber band mean? The handy, dandy rubber band, useful for flinging at people and holding together important things, like stacks of cash money, as rubber bands refer to in hip-hop slang. Rubber bands also come up in fashion contexts, from bracelets and hairstyles, and a common complaint for those who have to use special ones for orthodontic braces.

Etymology

Origin of rubber band

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

You slice it the wrong way and, instead of a tender, juicy bite, you’re left gnawing on something that tastes like a rubber band.

From Salon • May 22, 2026

Unlike gravity or electromagnetism, the strong force becomes stronger as particles move farther apart, similar to a rubber band stretching tighter the more it is pulled.

From Science Daily • May 19, 2026

But sometimes a disturbance can cause the polar vortex to stretch like a rubber band.

From Slate • Feb. 25, 2026

"Think of it like a rubber band being pulled," Judah Cohen, a climate dynamics scientist at MIT, told AFP.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

Addie and I jump like it’s a rubber band she’s snapped at us.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe