headband

Everyday

A headband is a band of cloth, plastic or elastic worn around the head or over the hair to keep hair or sweat away from the face, or for decoration. tree →

In the lessons

In everyday life, children wear headbands to hold hair back, in sports to soak up sweat, and in dress-up (bunny ears, crowns). In crafts, pupils make paper headbands with feathers, animal ears or crowns. Phrases: wear a headband, sweatband, a headband with ears.

Examples

• She pushed her hair back with a blue headband. tree →
• The tennis player wore a headband to stop sweat getting in his eyes. tree →
• We made paper headbands with rabbit ears for the play. tree →
• My headband has a little bow on it. tree →
• Grandma knitted me a warm headband for winter. tree →
• The runners all wore matching headbands. tree →

Note

One word, countable: headbands. A headband that goes around the forehead for sport is also called a «sweatband». An «Alice band» (UK) is a stiff headband over the top of the head.

In Jewish tradition

A cloth band the prophet wore over his eyes to disguise himself before the king.

Interpretation. Tradition notes that the prophet disguised himself to give King Ahab a message in a parable form, so that Ahab would judge himself.

Examples

• So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. (Prophets 1KI.20.38, JPS 1917) tree →
• And he hastened, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. (Prophets 1KI.20.41, JPS 1917) tree →

Note

One word, countable: headbands. A headband that goes around the forehead for sport is also called a «sweatband». An «Alice band» (UK) is a stiff headband over the top of the head.