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Band-Aid

American  
[band-eyd] / ˈbændˌeɪd /
Trademark.

  1. a brand of adhesive bandage with a gauze pad in the center, used to cover minor abrasions and cuts.

noun

  1. (often lowercase) a makeshift, limited, or temporary aid or solution that does not satisfy the basic or long-range need.

    The proposed reform isn't thorough enough to be more than just a band-aid.

adjective

  1. (often lowercase) serving as a makeshift, limited, or temporary aid or solution.

    band-aid measures to solve a complex problem.
Band-Aid British  
/ ˈbændˌeɪd /

noun

  1. a gauze surgical dressing backed by adhesive tape

  2. informal (sometimes not capitals) somethinɡ that provides a temporary solution to a problem

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Band-Aid

1965–70 Band-Aid for defs. 2, 3

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

She brought the product over during one of their last visits — a Band-Aid solution that she devised because her client was having trouble bathing herself.

From Los Angeles Times

“This is a Band-Aid on an open wound,” he told CNN.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The aid package is a Band-Aid,” said Jake Hanley, managing director and senior portfolio specialist at Teucrium, which manages commodity and agriculture-related exchange-traded funds.

From MarketWatch

“It’s a little bit more of a Band-Aid probably than any of us would really like to admit, but it still feels like something that’s really worthwhile,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s a band-aid on a much bigger challenge,” said Ryan Schleeter, communications director with the nonprofit The Climate Center.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.