bandwagon

American  

[band-wag-uhn] / ˈbændˌwæg ən /

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.

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bandwagon British  

/ 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

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Usage

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.

Etymology

Origin of bandwagon

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

Explanation

A bandwagon is a trend that is so cool everyone wants to get in on it. If you start wearing a flowerpot on your head because everyone else is, you’ve jumped on a strange fashion bandwagon. Originally, a bandwagon was a large wagon that did indeed carry a band. Now it’s an idea — people jump on the bandwagon when they hop on a trend. This word can be negative because it’s what people do only because it’s trendy. Longtime fans of the Boston Red Sox may resent new fans who like the team because it's become the "in thing" to do; the old fans would accuse them of jumping on the bandwagon.

Example Sentences

The Beckham bandwagon gives Cruz many advantages, of course.

From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026

Plus, our columnists get on the Claude Code bandwagon, why Elon Musk wants a SpaceX IPO and Intel’s crash back to earth, in this edition of the Technology newsletter.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 28, 2026

Major food companies were even hellbent on following the bandwagon.

From Salon • Jan. 17, 2026

But also I’ll say, as somebody who got thrown into the bandwagon of “KPop Demon Hunters” because of my 6-year-old niece, I wanna see that get some love in the animated category.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026

“If we can’t stop this hippie bandwagon, we’ll have to find a way to jump on.”

From "Schooled" by Gordon Korman

Related Words

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