What does neckband mean?
A neckband is a band or collar-like strip that encircles the neck, either as a separate accessory or as part of a garment. It may be decorative, standing upright, folded, or attached to a shirt, dress, or other clothing. The word is especially useful when describing the distinctive band that frames a neckline or gives a garment a particular formal, traditional, or uniform appearance. Although collar is the more general modern term, neckband can emphasize the width, structure, or ornamentation of the band around the neck. It is understood in British and American English, though it is more specialized than everyday vocabulary. The word also has a technical use in describing a shirt's neckline construction, where the neckband is the part that supports or finishes the opening for the head.
nounA band or strip worn around the neck, often as part of a garment or as a decorative accessory. It may also refer to the collar-like section of a shirt that surrounds the neck.
- A strip, collar, or band worn around the neck, often as part of a garment or as a decorative accessory.
- The collar-like part of a shirt that rises or folds around the neck.
"She fastened the elegant neckband of her dress with a small brooch."
"The shirt has a crisp white neckband and narrow cuffs."
"A velvet neckband added a formal note to her evening dress."
The plural is used for individual neckbands or for multiple decorative or garment bands.
"The shop sells collars, neckbands, and other formal accessories."
A neckband is where a shirt's style makes its first impression: the frame around the face.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does neckband come from?
Neckband is a compound of neck and band, both of which are old English elements in wider Germanic vocabulary. The word developed in English as a term for a band or collar around the neck and later came to be used for particular parts of garments. Its modern clothing sense reflects this long-standing association with the neck, while related forms such as necklace and neckline developed through the same productive neck element.
How neckband is actually used
The term is less common than collar and is often used for a distinctive, decorative, or garment-specific band. In clothing descriptions, it can refer specifically to the structured band at the neckline rather than the entire collar.