bandage

American  

[ban-dij] / ˈbæn dɪdʒ /

noun

bandages plural

1. a strip of cloth or other material used to bind up a wound, sore, sprain, etc.

   Synonyms:

   compass, binding, dressing

2. anything used as a band or ligature.

---

verb (used with object)

bandages, present (3rd person singular) bandaged, past participle, past bandaging present participle

1. to bind or cover with a bandage.

   to bandage the ankles of a football player to prevent sprains.

verb (used without object)

bandages, present (3rd person singular) bandaged, past participle, past bandaging present participle

1. to put a bandage on a wound, sprain, etc..

   Apply some iodine before you bandage.

bandage British  

/ ˈbændɪdʒ /

noun

1. a piece of material used to dress a wound, bind a broken limb, etc

2. a strip of any soft material used for binding, etc

---

verb

1. to cover or bind with a bandage

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bandager
  noun
• well-bandaged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bandages
  plural

Participles

• bandaging
  present
• bandaged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bandage
  simple
• bandages
  simple
• have bandaged
  perfect
• has bandaged
  perfect
• am bandaging
  progressive
• are bandaging
  progressive
• is bandaging
  progressive
• have been bandaging
  perfect progressive
• has been bandaging
  perfect progressive

Past

• bandaged
  simple
• had bandaged
  perfect
• was bandaging
  progressive
• were bandaging
  progressive
• had been bandaging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bandage
  simple
• will have bandaged
  perfect
• will be bandaging
  progressive
• will have been bandaging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bandage

From Middle French, dating back to 1590–1600; see origin at band ², -age

Explanation

A bandage is a piece of tape or cloth that's used to slow the flow of blood from a cut or another wound. Any good first aid kit is equipped with plenty of bandages. A bandage can vary from being a tiny plastic strip you stick on the spot where your cat scratched you to a thick, wide cloth that's applied to a serious injury at a hospital. You can also use it as a verb: "If I were you, I'd bandage that skinned knee so it doesn't get dirty." Bandage is a Middle French word, from the Old French bander, "to bind," and ultimately bande, "a strip."

Example Sentences

Someone in the crowd applied a bandage to his head and he was quickly taken to an emergency room.

From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026

The 34-year-old all-rounder posted a picture on Instagram last week showing his eye heavily swollen and bruised, a graze on his cheek and lip, and a bandage stuffed in his nose.

From Barron's • Feb. 11, 2026

Palace are the second-biggest spenders behind Man City this month but have they merely stuck a glossy bandage over their problems?

From BBC • Feb. 2, 2026

But any payment is only a bandage for a deeply rigged market.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 23, 2025

"I'm going to bandage it up with my handkerchief. That will stop the bleeding."

From "The Witches" by Roald Dahl

Related Words

• dressing
• gauze
• plaster