bandage
Americannoun
-
bandages
plural
verb (used with object)
-
bandages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bandaged,
past participle, past
-
bandaging
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
bandages,
present (3rd person singular)
-
bandaged,
past participle, past
-
bandaging
present participle
noun
-
a piece of material used to dress a wound, bind a broken limb, etc
-
a strip of any soft material used for binding, etc
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
bandagernoun
-
rebandageverb (used with object)
-
unbandageverb (used with object)
-
well-bandagedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
bandagesimple
-
bandagessimple
-
have bandagedperfect
-
has bandagedperfect
-
am bandagingprogressive
-
are bandagingprogressive
-
is bandagingprogressive
-
have been bandagingperfect progressive
-
has been bandagingperfect progressive
Past
-
bandagedsimple
-
had bandagedperfect
-
was bandagingprogressive
-
were bandagingprogressive
-
had been bandagingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing bandage
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Unit 9
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
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.
See Examples For:
They eventually found a first aid kit to treat his open wound, but there was only a single bandage.
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
The caption — complete with a winking emoji blowing a kiss — accompanied a photo of the “St. Denis Medical” star wearing a bandage around her face and neck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 16, 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
But any payment is only a bandage for a deeply rigged market.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 23, 2025
Anya knocked his hand away and pulled the bandage up again.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
When her bandages are unwrapped, she’s devastated to learn that her face is still symmetrical, with a thin nose, unblemished skin, and full lips.
From Slate ● Sep. 2, 2026
I would recommend finding a kit with a wide variety of tools, bandages, and basic medical supplies.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026
Ostrovsky said other deepfake images appeared to show him in hospital with his bandages removed, or holding an Academy Award trophy, many of which are still online today.
From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026
In Pasadena, volunteers at the restaurant Chamo Venezuelan Cuisine collected supplies, issuing a special plea for bandages, gauze, painkillers and other over-the-counter medicines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
When the doctors took my bandages off, they discovered I’d been replaced by a small, ugly alien.
From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge
Eight hours later, he found himself in a hospital in Tine, with his hands burnt and bandaged.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
Certainly not the one you have in mind: bandaged dead guy, ominous hieroglyphics, maybe Brendan Fraser.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 17, 2026
She posted a video in which she and Anderson, 61, could be seen with her fingertips bandaged up.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2026
His right hand has repeatedly appeared bandaged and bruised.
From Salon ● Dec. 10, 2025
His face bandaged, he rode in Yeste’s carriage to Madrid, where he lived in Yeste’s house, obeyed Yeste’s commands.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
Crimson underwent multiple bandaging and bracing techniques to aid his limb development.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
“There were a lot of people in the background that were kind of bubblegum and bandaging everything together to make sure that there was not a single hiccup,” Goetter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
Lifeguards at Bondi have been praised for their courage on the day of the December 14 attack, dragging people to safety, bandaging and resuscitating victims, and pulling panicked swimmers from the waves.
From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025
Trained in first aid, river crossing and high mountain rescue, they practise evacuating the village a few times a year, volunteers carrying the wounded on stretchers and bandaging mock injuries.
From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2024
Buttercup ripped her clothes into patches and ties, and they worked at the wound, caking the blood with mud from the floor of the Fire Swamp, then bandaging and rebandaging over it.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
