bandanna

American  

[ban-dan-uh] / bænˈdæn ə /

Or bandana

noun

1. a large, printed handkerchief, typically one with white spots or figures on a red or blue background.

2. any large scarf for the neck or head.

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bandanna British  

/ bænˈdænə /

noun

1. a large silk or cotton handkerchief or neckerchief

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Usage

What does bandanna mean? A bandanna is a type of large handkerchief, usually patterned and brightly colored. While used for many purposes, bandannas are commonly worn on the head, to hold back hair or absorb sweat, or around the neck to protect it from the sun. Today, bandannas are often printed with a distinctive paisley pattern, are square, are made from cotton, and come in a variety of colors. Historically, bandannas were patterned with white spots on a red or blue background. Such a bandanna—red with white spots—is featured in the “We Can Do It!” wartime poster from 1943 created by graphic designer J. Howard Miller for Westinghouse Electric to help boost morale for its workers during World War II. In popular culture, the iconic, bicep-flexing woman wearing the bandanna in the poster has become Rosie the Riveter, though she is not technically that original character.[caption id="attachment_152384" align="alignnone" width="232"] Wikimedia[/caption]Another notable bandanna in U. S. history dates back to the very founding of the country itself. At the request of Martha Washington, the printmaker John Hewson, fashioned a red-and-white bandana featuring George Washington on horseback, his sword drawn and encircled by the words “George Washington, Esq. Foundator and Protector of America's Liberty and Independency.”Indeed, as the Washington bandanna shows, this textile has a long history not just of fashion and function but also to signal various groups, identities, and causes. Different colored bandannas were displayed as sexual code in the 1970s gay culture. Different colored bandanas have also been used to represent various gang affiliations. Still, the bandanna remains a very practical item. During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, many people used bandannas as makeshift, non-medical face masks to help prevent and protect themselves from the virus, which can spread through droplets expelled by coughing, sneezing, laughing, talking, and breathing.

Other Word Forms

• bandannaed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of bandanna

1745–55; earlier bandanno (second syllable unstressed) < Hindi bā̃dhnū tie dyeing

Explanation

A bandanna is a square piece of cloth that can be used as a handkerchief or tied around your neck. When kids dress up as cowboys for Halloween, they often wear a bandanna. Most bandannas are brightly colored, with a printed paisley pattern, and they're commonly tied around the head or neck, rolled up or folded in half with one corner pointing down. You can use a bandanna as a headband, a handkerchief, a sweatband, or a napkin — but they're most often just worn as an accessory. The word bandanna, or bandana, comes from the Hindi bandhnu, a tie-dye style of dying fabric.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bandanna

When I spoke to her through Zoom, she was backlit by a shade-drawn window, her face weaving in and out of California shadow, a bandanna covering her dark hair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The zippered pocket in the bandanna holds up to 2 pounds of ice that drips out through tiny holes in the neoprene fabric as it melts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

At Parc de Bercy, Abdoulaye N. usually showed up on weekends, wearing a bandanna tied like an inverted headband and bringing fresh fruits for everybody, according to friends who trained with him.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 23, 2025

At the sight of them, Woodson tied her bandanna around her face and started marching back and forth, screaming: “Immigrants are not the problem! Immigrants are never the problem!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 13, 2025

That year, 1831, when Harriet regarded herself as sufficiently grown up to wear a bandanna, she kept hearing a strange, fascinating story, told and retold, in the quarter, in the fields.

From "Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad" by Ann Petry

Related Words

• handkerchief