bandolier

noun

ban·​do·​lier ˌban-də-ˈlir 

variants or bandoleer

: a belt worn over the shoulder and across the breast often for the suspending or supporting of some article (such as cartridges) or as a part of an official or ceremonial dress

Examples of bandolier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some of her paintings begin as digital collages sourced from vintage Black magazines; this calendar’s smiling, topless cover model had accessorized her lingerie with a bandolier of bullets, as though in preparation for the revolution. —Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 5 May 2025

Hollis Chitto, a Mississippi Choctaw who also has Laguna and Isleta Pueblo heritage, won the Best-of-Show award at the Heard for a beaded bandolier bag, a form that dates back centuries. —Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 28 Nov. 2024

Baker recreated the Lenape bandolier bag to help revitalize one of his community’s art forms. —Debra Utacia Krol, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2024

Baker recreated the Lenape bandolier bag to help revitalize one of his community’s art forms. —Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 21 Nov. 2024

Advertisement Members of the former are alleged to sport tattoos of a skull with Nazi imagery and an AK-47, while members of the latter are allegedly known for their matching tattoos of a skeleton outfitted with a sombrero, bandolier and pistol. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 21 Nov. 2024

From Scottsdale, Arizona, to Birmingham in Michigan and Birmingham in Alabama, women are wearing jewels on satin cords, bindings of silk and braid, doing sashes bandolier style. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 14 Sep. 2024

Today, members of the Sac and Fox Nation travel to the museum to experience their culture firsthand, embodied by the intricate, vibrant beadwork that adorns the bandolier bag. —Nathaniel Scharping, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024

Clad in all black and sporting a bandolier of bullets, Beyoncé’s show was a clear ode to the Black Panthers and called attention to the Black Lives Matter movement. —Scottie Andrew, CNN, 14 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Middle French bandouliere, probably borrowed from Catalan bandolera, feminine noun derivative from bandoler "highwayman, bandit" (presumably from the use of such belts as a prop for a highwayman's firearm), earlier, "supporter, partisan," from bàndol, variant (with parasitic l) of bando "faction, party" (borrowed from Spanish, probably going back to Late Latin bandum "flag, standard") + -er, going back to Latin -ārius -er entry 2 — more at band entry 3

First Known Use

circa 1577, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for bandolier

• auctioneer
• bandelier
• belvedere
• bombardier
• brigadier
• buccaneer
• cavalier
• chandelier
• chanticleer
• chevalier
• commandeer
• disappear

Kids Definition

bandolier

noun

ban·​do·​lier

variants or bandoleer

ˌban-də-ˈli(ə)r 

: a belt worn over the shoulder and across the body along the length of which items (as cartridges) may be carried in loops or pouches