Etymologically
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bandwagon

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Pronunciation

  • /ˈbændˌwæɡ.ən/[1]
  • US: /ˈbeə̯ndˌweɪ̯ɡ.ən/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English band + wagon,[2][3][4][5] in American English.[3][5] The band is a company of musicians.[3][5] Early spellings were “band wagon” and “band-wagon”.[3][6][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

A large wagon, especially one that could carry a band of musicians in a parade, a political campaign or a travelling circus: 1836, in the Boston Morning Post.[2] Tréguer found a circus band-wagon able to hold twenty musicians in a New Orleans paper of February 1847,[7] and Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date the word to 1849,[3][4] when the American Quarterly reported a circus troupe headed by its four-horse band wagon.[6]

Semantic evolution

Bandwagons led circus parades through the main street of a town to advertise the show's arrival;[6] P. T. Barnum mentioned the circus's “band wagon” in his autobiography of 1855.[6][8] They also took part in Fourth of July parades and in political processions,[7] and as they figured in the celebrations of successful political campaigns, being on the bandwagon came to mean attaching oneself to whatever looks likely to succeed.[3] The OED records the figurative sense, a party, belief or trend seen as increasingly successful or popular, from 1880,[2] and Tréguer's earliest political use is from the New York Times of 11 May 1880.[7] The phrase to jump on the bandwagon follows in 1883,[2] and Etymonline finds it in Theodore Roosevelt's writings by 1899.[3] According to Flavell, the candidate rode on the wagon with the band, and the people who climbed on to show their allegiance included some looking for a reward if he won;[9] Wilton notes that the phrase is mildly derisive, used of people who join only when success is near.[6] Flavell adds that the British radio comedy Band Waggon (1938–39) helped make the word familiar.[9] The noun became a verb in 1898, at first meaning to ride in a bandwagon; since 1915 it has meant to join a promising or popular cause.[2] In American tramps' slang of 1915 a bandwagon was also a police van.[10]

Timeline

  • 1836 – a large wagon, especially one carrying a band in a parade, campaign or circus.[2] Etymonline and Merriam-Webster date it to 1849.[3][4]
  • 1855 – P. T. Barnum's “band wagon”, in his autobiography.[6][8]
  • 1880 – a party, cause or trend that attracts growing support.[2][7]
  • 1883 – to jump on the bandwagon.[2]
  • 1898 – verb, to ride in a bandwagon (obsolete by 1916).[2]
  • 1915 – verb, to join others in supporting a popular cause.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A cause, party or trend that attracts more and more supporters, often because it seems likely to succeed: the electric-car bandwagon.[4][2][11]
  2. jump (or climb) on the bandwagon: to join others in supporting something that seems popular or successful, often for one's own advantage.[2][9][8]
  3. A large, often ornate wagon carrying a band of musicians in a parade, especially of a circus.[4][11][2]

Verb

  1. To join others in supporting a cause or movement that seems promising or popular.[2]

Word family

  • bandwagoning

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ a b c Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  6. ^ a b c d e f Wilton, Dave, Wordorigins.org, wordorigins.org, p. "Bandwagon, jump on the", 15 May 2020
  7. ^ a b c d e Tréguer, Pascal, Word Histories, wordhistories.net, p. "Origin of ‘to jump on the bandwagon’", 22 January 2018
  8. ^ a b c Martin, Gary, The Phrase Finder: Meaning and Origin of Phrases, Sayings, Clichés and Quotes, https://www.phrases.org.uk
  9. ^ a b c Flavell, Linda; Flavell, Roger (1992), Dictionary of Idioms and their Origins, London: Kyle Cathie
  10. ^ Green, Jonathon (2010), Green's Dictionary of Slang, London: Chambers; digital ed. 2016–, https://greensdictofslang.com
  11. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin