Jump on the bandwagon means joining something because it has become popular: When the first repair café attracted a crowd, other neighbourhoods jumped on the bandwagon. A bandwagon is a cart carrying a band in a parade: everyone runs after it because that's where the fun is. The phrase usually sounds a little mocking: you didn't decide yourself, you followed the crowd.
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jump / get / climb on the bandwagon; jump on a named trend's bandwagon
- When the first repair café attracted a crowd, other neighbourhoods jumped on the bandwagon.
- She bought the same camera as everyone else but insists she did not just jump on the bandwagon.
- Several shops jumped on the reusable-packaging bandwagon after customers began asking for it.
What changed
First versionOther cafés jumped in the bandwagon after the first poetry night became popular.
RevisionOther cafés jumped on the bandwagon after the first poetry night became popular.
You sit in a car or in a carriage, so in seems natural for a wagon. But you jump up onto a bandwagon: on the bandwagon. Replace in with on.
Follow a trend is neutral. Jump on the bandwagon suggests cashing in on someone else's success: She insists she did not just jump on the bandwagon. Ahead of the curve is the opposite: starting before everyone else.
Your turn
Use the idiom for joining a popular trend: Several brands jumped ___ the bandwagon.
Show the answer
on — You jump up onto the cart: on the bandwagon. In isn't used here.
Describe a trend everyone around you picked up: an app, a dish, a hobby. Use jump on the bandwagon.
After the first neighbourhood book swap drew a large crowd, nearby streets jumped on the bandwagon.
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