What does bandying mean?
Bandying is the present participle and gerund of the verb bandy, describing the act of tossing or exchanging something back and forth between people. Most commonly it refers to a lively verbal exchange — bandying words, quips, accusations, or insults — and it frequently appears in literary and formal contexts where two parties trade remarks with spirit or animosity. It can also describe physically passing an object such as a ball to and fro, though this sense is less common today. The word derives ultimately from French bander, meaning to tie together or enclose with a band, which also gives English words like band and bandage; over time the sense shifted from binding to striking or sending something back and forth. Bandying connotes briskness, contention, or playful sparring, and phrases like 'bandying words' remain a recognized way to describe argumentative dialogue. Though not an everyday term, it lends a vivid, slightly archaic energy to descriptions of debate and repartee.
verb (gerund/participle form of 'bandy')The act or practice of bandying — tossing or passing something back and forth between people, or exchanging remarks, insults, or blows in a lively interchange.
- To exchange words, remarks, or insults back and forth in conversation or dispute.
- To pass or toss a thing (such as a ball) to and fro between people.
"They spent the evening bandying quips across the dinner table."
"The two debaters were bandying arguments with increasing heat."
"In the garden, the children were bandying the ball between them."
'Bandying words' is centuries-old shorthand for a war of wits — Shakespeare's characters were doing it on stage long before Twitter made it an art form.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bandying
Bandying is the -ing form of bandy, a verb that entered English in the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. Its ultimate source is Old French bander, meaning to fasten or surround with a band, which is also the ancestor of English 'band' and 'bandage'. The verb's earliest meanings involved striking a thing back and forth, later extending to the figurative exchange of words or blows. Related French-derived terms include 'bandolier', reflecting the same root family.
Related word forms
How bandying is actually used
Bandying is almost always used in progressive tenses ('was bandying', 'were bandying') since it is the -ing form of the verb 'bandy'. It carries a slightly literary, sometimes old-fashioned flavor; 'bandying words' in particular often appears in formal writing and legal contexts to describe heated verbal exchanges.
Easily confused with bandying
Banding means forming into groups or marking with stripes, while bandying means passing things or words back and forth between people.
Bandy is the base verb meaning to exchange or toss back and forth, whereas bandying is its present participle or gerund form.