A band is a group of musicians, and also a level on a scoring scale: in IELTS, your score is called a band, band 7 or a band score of 7. It isn't a group of criminals: that's a gang. In some languages, such as German and French, a similar word, Bande or bande, does mean a gang.
band: will you get the meaning right?
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play/sing in a band; a rock/jazz band; band + number (IELTS); a band score of + number
- My cousin plays bass in a band, and they perform in small cafés at weekends.
- She needs band 7 in IELTS to apply for a master's degree in the UK.
What changed
First versionThe police finally caught the band that robbed three shops on our street.
RevisionThe police finally caught the gang that robbed three shops on our street.
In everyday English, band means musicians. A group of criminals is a gang, and if you say band, people will first picture a group of musicians robbing shops.
In old stories, band also means a group of people with a shared goal: Robin Hood and his band of outlaws. This use is literary: news reports about crime say gang, for example a gang of car thieves.
Your turn
Several cars in our area were broken into last week, and the police think the same ___ is responsible.
Show the answer
gang — The people breaking into cars are a gang, a criminal group. Band would sound like a group of musicians or the literary “group” from old stories.
Describe a band you listened to at school or university. Name the band and one of their songs.
At university I listened to Muse all the time, and my favourite song by that band was "Starlight".
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