Meaning & use
Band-Aid
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountabletrademark
A small piece of sticky material with a gauze pad, used to cover a cut or scrape on the skin.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a Band-Aid' or 'two Band-Aids'.
Patterns
- put on a Band-Aid
- wear a Band-Aid
She put a Band-Aid on her finger after cutting it.
Do you have a Band-Aid? I scraped my knee.
nouncountablefigurative
A temporary solution that helps a problem but does not fix the real cause.
Grammar: Often used in the phrase 'a Band-Aid solution'.
Patterns
- a Band-Aid solution
- a Band-Aid for something
The extra funding is just a Band-Aid; we need real reform.
Treating the symptoms is only a Band-Aid for the underlying disease.
Word forms
| plural | Band-Aids |
|---|
Common combinations
- put on a Band-Aid
- He put on a Band-Aid to stop the bleeding.
- Band-Aid solution
- The government's plan is a Band-Aid solution to a deep problem.
- adhesive Band-Aid
- She bought a box of adhesive Band-Aids for the first-aid kit.
Synonyms and how they differ
- plaster
- British English for the same thing; use 'plaster' in the UK, 'Band-Aid' in the US.
- adhesive bandage
- A more formal, generic term that avoids the brand name.
Commonly confused: Band-Aid or bandage?
Band-Aid vs bandage
A bandage is a strip of cloth used to wrap a wound; a Band-Aid is a small sticky patch.
Practice
I cut my finger while cooking. Can you pass me a ___?
Choose one answer.
In American English, a small adhesive strip is called a Band-Aid. 'Bandage' is usually a larger cloth wrap, 'plaster' is British, and 'gauze' is the material, not the strip.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Band-Aid”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.