badge

1 of 2

noun

ˈbaj 

plural badges

1

: a device or token especially of membership in a society or group

2

: a characteristic mark

3

: an emblem awarded for a particular accomplishment

4

British : button sense 1b

Solicitors have reacted with dismay after Staffordshire courts ordered them to remove "political" badges.

—Birmingham Post

badge

2 of 2

verb

badged; badging; badges

transitive verb

: to mark or distinguish (someone or something) with or as if with a badge

Guests arrived and were counted and badged.

—The New Yorker

They were dressed in uniform, too, but theirs were everyday uniforms, not ceremonial. Dark olive cloth, worn and creased, badged here and there with the unfamiliar insignia of their rank.

—Lee Child

My daughter's hands were raw and scraped from shucking four hundred oysters the night before, her knuckles badged with tiny, brilliant, forming scabs.

—William Boyd

Examples of badge in a Sentence

Noun

The policeman flashed his badge.

Don't forget to wear your name badge.

The receptionist glanced at my visitor's badge.

She earned 10 merit badges in scouting.

She was wearing a badge that read “Support your local library.”

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Roc Nation agents allegedly pretended to work for the State of Texas and flashed fake badges, Buzbee said. —Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024

The ubiquitous New Yorker tote became the uniform of the chic intellectual, and Trader Joe’s reusable bags (though around since the late ’70s) are a badge of brand loyalty. —Boutayna Chokrane, WIRED, 16 Dec. 2024

Verb

That was when Britain’s AC Cars, which had a relationship with Zagato dating back to the AC Ace Bristol Zagato from 1957, offered to help revive the vehicle and badge it as an AC model. —Howard Walker, Robb Report, 5 Nov. 2024

That starts with the A5, and will presumably include the forthcoming Q5, A7 and Q7 models, plus any future successor to the A8, which is likely to be badged A9. —Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 17 July 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English bage, bagge, of obscure origin

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing badge

• badge of honor/pride
• film badge

Kids Definition

badge

noun

ˈbaj 

: a mark or sign worn to show that a person belongs to a certain group, class, or rank