bandwagon
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
noun
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a wagon, usually high and brightly coloured, for carrying the band in a parade
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to join or give support to a party or movement that seems to be assured of success
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
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.
Vocabulary lists containing bandwagon
Analyzing Arguments: From Reading to Writing (Chapter 3)
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The Omnivore's Dilemma
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Media Literacy - High School
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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.
If he can turn things around against the 49ers, everyone will quickly jump back on the Geno Bandwagon.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 12, 2022
Bandwagon fallacy the fallacy that we ought to do something or believe something because many other people do or believe the same thing.
From Textbooks • Jun. 15, 2022
She’s also the COO of Bandwagon Fan Club, Inc., a data and identity analytics tech company focused on sports and entertainment.
From Slate • May 13, 2022
After that, Bärí went to work at StubHub, an AI startup studio called All Turtles, and a data and identity analytics company called Bandwagon Fan Club.
From The Verge • Feb. 15, 2022
In late summer 2020, Costanzo was at an entrance to Brooklyn Bridge Park, explaining what a countertenor is from the bed of the Bandwagon pickup truck.
From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2022
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.
