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Synonyms

big band

American  

noun

  1. a jazz or dance band that is the size of an orchestra.

big band British  

noun

  1. a large jazz or dance band, popular esp in the 1930s to the 1950s

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of big band

First recorded in 1925–30

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.

This Music May Contain Hope fuses old-school jazz with an orchestra, blues, big band and soul, reflecting what Raye told the BBC last year.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

As Simon observed years later, the V-Discs “mark the high watermark of the big band years.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 26, 2026

The courtly gentleman guided women around the floor to big band standards with all the aplomb of teenage boys waltzing at a cotillion dance they’ve been forced to attend by their parents.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2025

Carpenter skipped back to the stage for a big band version of Espresso, complete with ankle-endangering tap routine.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2025

‘There’s a big band about four miles away,’ he said.

From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien

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.