bandages

IPA/ˈbæn.dɪdʒ/
KK[bˈændədʒəz]IPA/ˈbæn.dɪdʒ/

bandages — noun

  • bandagessingular
  • bandagesesplural

1. pieces of cloth used to wrap and protect hurt parts of the body; the plural form

1.nounB1
Definition

pieces of cloth used to wrap and protect hurt parts of the body; the plural form of bandage in this medical sense

Example

The nurse wrapped clean bandages around Omar's burned hand.

bandages around + injured body part

Zuri packed extra bandages before the class hiking trip.

Common collocations
  • clean bandages
  • elastic bandages
  • change the bandages
  • remove the bandages
  • wrap bandages around
Synonyms
  • dressings

    broader medical word that can include pads placed on a wound under a bandage

  • wraps

    less exact everyday word for something wound around an injured part

Grammar Patterns

bandages around + body part

box of bandages

change/remove bandages

Usage Note

This sense usually refers to longer cloth wraps used after a larger injury. It often appears with verbs such as wrap, change, remove, or replace.

Common Mistakes

The bandages was too tight on his arm.
The bandages were too tight on his arm.
'Bandages' is plural here, so it takes a plural verb.
The nurse reached for a bandages.
The nurse reached for a bandage.
Use the singular form when only one wrap is meant.

2. small sticky strips placed over minor cuts or scrapes; the plural form of bandag

2.nounA2
Definition

small sticky strips placed over minor cuts or scrapes; the plural form of bandage in this everyday sense

Example

Yuna keeps cartoon bandages in her desk for small cuts.

small adhesive bandages for minor cuts

The toddler chose star-shaped bandages after scraping both knees.

Common collocations
  • adhesive bandages
  • waterproof bandages
  • cartoon bandages
  • put bandages on a cut
Synonyms
  • adhesive bandages

    neutral and slightly more explicit medical term

  • plasters

    common British word for small sticky coverings on cuts

Grammar Patterns

bandages for + small cut

waterproof/cartoon bandages

put bandages on + scrape

Usage Note

This sense is for the small adhesive covering used on light injuries. In everyday Taiwan Mandarin, OK繃 is often the most natural translation.

Common Mistakes

I need a bandages for this paper cut.
I need a bandage for this paper cut.
Use the singular form when one adhesive strip is enough.

bandages — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words all relate to caring for injuries, but they are not exact matches. 'Bandages' usually refers to wraps or coverings used to protect an injured part, especially when something is tied, wound, or fixed around the body. 'Dressings' is a broader medical word for material placed on a wound, and a dressing may sit under a bandage. 'Gauze' names the thin woven cloth itself rather than the finished wrap. 'Plasters' is mainly British English and usually matches the small adhesive-strip sense, not the longer cloth-wrap sense. A nurse may change the bandages on a sprained ankle, place a fresh dressing on a cut, or use gauze before taping it down.

bandages ↗dressings ↗gauze ↗plasters ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • clean bandages
  • fresh bandages
  • waterproof bandages

Phrases

  • change the bandages
  • put bandages on
  • be covered in bandages

Prepositions

  • bandages around
  • bandages on

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

Bandages is the plural noun form and the third-person singular verb form of bandage. English took bandage from French, where it was linked to the idea of binding something. That original sense still shows in modern English: a bandage is something used to wrap an injury, and to bandage someone means to cover the hurt place with that protective material.

First known use

1599

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Verb