noun

bandwagon

BAND-wag-uhn

noun

A popular trend or cause that people join simply because it is already popular.

"Once the team started winning, everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon."

"She refused to jump on the diet bandwagon everyone else was following."

verb

To join a popular trend or cause purely because of its popularity.

"Critics accused the politician of bandwagoning on the issue once polls shifted."

How to Use Bandwagon

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo support something only because it has suddenly become popular, not out of genuine belief.

Common mistake

Almost always used with "jump on" or "climb on" — "bandwagon" rarely stands alone as a verb outside informal use.

Common pairings

jump on the bandwagon bandwagon fan climb aboard the bandwagon

Word Forms

bandwagoned past tense, bandwagonned past tense, bandwagons plural, bandwagons singular

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Fill the Gap

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Once the team started winning, everyone wanted to jump on the _____.

Etymology

Originally a literal large wagon that carried a band in a parade; political candidates would ride on one to draw a crowd, and by the late 1800s "jump on the bandwagon" came to mean joining whatever side looked set to win.

Rhymes for bandwagon

wagon dragon Aragon octagon paragon pentagon tarragon pendragon

See all rhymes for bandwagon →