bandwagon

[band-wag-uhn]

noun

1. a wagon, usually large and ornately decorated, for carrying a musical band while it is playing, as in a circus parade or to a political rally.

2. a party, cause, movement, etc., that by its mass appeal or strength readily attracts many followers.

   After it became apparent that the incumbent would win, everyone decided to jump on the bandwagon.

bandwagon

/ ˈbændˌwæɡən /

noun

1. a wagon, usually high and brightly coloured, for carrying the band in a parade

2. to join or give support to a party or movement that seems to be assured of success

Word History and Origins

Origin of bandwagon¹

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; band ¹ + wagon

Example Sentences

Nobody wants to be the first to jump off the bandwagon, no matter how close it gets to the cliff, for fear of missing out.

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The rally this year has been driven by the fears of missing out on the AI bandwagon and bets on US borrowing costs coming down.

Read more on Barron's

"However, there is clearly concern that Rightmove is jumping on the bandwagon in dialling up its AI spending."

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Until this point, the recruitment consultant admitted she would just "jump on the bandwagon" of the latest aesthetic treatment to be discussed on social media.

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Bill Gates jumps off a bandwagon that existed in the first place only as a complete and utter canard.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• fad 
• form 
• look 
• mode 
• model 
• pattern 
• shape 
• thing 
• tone 
• trend 

When To Use

What does bandwagon mean?

If you jump on the bandwagon, you join in with the many people who follow, support, or are fans of someone or something popular and/or successful (especially when it is growing in popularity).Bandwagon is especially used in the context of sports teams, political movements, trends, and entertainment. It is almost always used in the singular in phrases like jump on the bandwagon, hop on the bandwagon, climb on the bandwagon, and get on the bandwagon. A noun is sometimes placed before bandwagon to refer to the thing being followed, such as the name of a particular sports team or TV show, as in people start to jump on the Yankees bandwagon around playoff time.  It is often used in a mildly negative way as a criticism of those who started following such a thing simply because it was popular or only after it had become popular or successful.Example: After the introduction of a pro league soccer team to the city, many residents jumped on the superfan bandwagon and started attending games and buying merchandise.