bandage

bandage — noun

1. a long soft strip that goes over a wound or around an injured arm, leg, or joint

1.nounA2
Definition

a long soft strip that goes over a wound or around an injured arm, leg, or joint to keep it protected or supported

Example

Nora wrapped a bandage around her ankle after the fall.

wrap a bandage around [body part]

A clean bandage covered the cut on Leo's left hand.

collocation: clean bandage

Common collocations
  • clean bandage
  • dry bandage
  • elastic bandage
  • change a bandage
  • wrap a bandage around an ankle
Synonyms
  • dressing

    often means the material placed directly on the wound, not the outer wrap

  • wrap

    broader and can be used for support as well as injury care

  • gauze

    names a thin medical cloth, often used inside or under a bandage

Grammar Patterns

put a bandage on a wound

wrap a bandage around an ankle

change a bandage

Usage Note

Often used for a longer strip wrapped around a larger injury or to hold other medical material in place. Distinguish from noun/2, which usually means a small sticky cover for a minor cut.

Common Mistakes

The doctor put bandage on my arm.
The doctor put a bandage on my arm.
Use a before one countable bandage.

2. a small sticky cover that you put over a minor cut or scrape

2.nounA2
Definition

a small sticky cover that you put over a minor cut or scrape

Example

Ella asked for a bandage after the paper cut bled.

need a bandage for a cut

A cartoon bandage covered Ben's scraped knee at school.

collocation: cartoon bandage

Common collocations
  • waterproof bandage
  • cartoon bandage
  • small bandage
  • bandage for a cut
  • put a bandage on your finger
Synonyms
  • plaster

    the usual everyday British word for this small sticky cover

  • adhesive bandage

    a more exact and slightly more formal term

  • Band-Aid

    a brand name often used like a general word, especially in American English

Grammar Patterns

put a bandage on a finger

need a bandage for a cut

waterproof bandages

Usage Note

Common for small everyday cuts on fingers, knees, or heels. Distinguish from noun/1, which is the longer cloth type used for wrapping or support.

Common Mistakes

I put a bandage around my ankle sprain.
I put a bandage on my finger cut.' / 'I wrapped a bandage around my ankle.
This sense is the small sticky type, not the long cloth wrap.

bandage — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For this sense, bandage is the everyday word for a strip of material placed around an injured part to protect it or keep it supported. Dressing is often the softer layer that touches the wound itself, so a nurse may put on a dressing first and then hold it in place with a bandage. Gauze names a thin medical fabric, often used as the material inside or under a bandage. Wrap is broader and can describe cloth wound around a body part for support, warmth, or sport, not only for an injury. After cleaning a cut, a doctor may add a dressing and then secure it with a bandage. A boxer may wear hand wraps before a match.

bandage ↗dressing ↗gauzewrap ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • put a bandage on a cut
  • wrap a bandage around an ankle
  • change a bandage

Prepositions

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Bandage came into English through French. It is related to French words for a band or strip of material. In English, the word developed both the noun meaning for the cloth itself and the verb meaning for putting that cloth on an injured part.