big band

noun

: a band that is larger than a combo and that usually features a mixture of ensemble playing and solo improvisation typical of jazz or swing

Examples of big band in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The variety series featured the band, singers, and dancers, all showcasing a range of musical styles from big band to polka. —Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

Other performers in this year’s series are 17-piece big band Big Time Operator; Jimmy’s Buffet, a Jimmy Buffett tribute band; and dance-funk band Full Strength. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2025

Owner Walter Gibson has curated everything from gospel 78s to big band LPs, all housed in a shop that once operated out of a closet. —Okla Jones, Essence, 17 June 2025

Hamilton Park Pavilion, a former big band dance hall and rollerskating rink that was adjacent to a town park with plenty of parking spaces, was ideal. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 8 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for big band

• armband
• backhand
• bandstand
• baseband
• broadband
• command
• cropland
• demand
• disband
• dreamland
• expand
• farmhand