A rubber band is a loop of stretchy rubber used to hold things together. When you pull on a rubber band, it stretches longer, and when you let go, it snaps back to its original size. This elastic property makes rubber bands perfect for bundling pencils, keeping a stack of papers organized, or holding a ponytail in place.

Rubber bands work because of the way rubber molecules are arranged. When you stretch the band, you're pulling those molecules apart, and they naturally want to spring back together. The harder you pull, the stronger they pull back. If you've ever launched a rubber band across a room, you've felt this stored energy in action.

People use rubber bands for thousands of tasks: sealing bags of chips, organizing cables, creating simple catapults for school projects, or even powering small toy airplanes. Some people wear rubber bands on their wrists as casual bracelets or reminders. In offices, you'll find rubber bands bundling mail or holding rolled-up documents.

The term can also describe something that stretches and contracts repeatedly, like when economists talk about prices rubber banding up and down, or when a character in a video game gets pulled back after moving too far ahead.