badge

1 of 2

noun

plural badges
Synonyms of badgenext
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 (England) 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
It’s made from 100 percent cotton and has a front pocket that’s optimal for clipping on your work badge. Alyssa Grabinski, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026 That is the standard set for bringing weapons and cellphones into a secure area, safeguarding department property, monitoring the radio, misusing department letterhead, badges or insignia, secondary employment violations, and recommending bondsmen or attorneys to inmates. Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 29 May 2026
Verb
Chinese partners Leapmotor and Dongfeng would provide electric vehicle technology and use some of Stellantis’s unused factories in Europe to make their own products or badge them with Stellantis brands. Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026 More specifically, Wellhouse brings in the boxy, pug-nosed Wake micro-van produced by Daihatsu between 2014 and 2022 and also badged as the Toyota Pixis Mega. C.c. Weiss may 26, New Atlas, 26 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for badge

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of badge was in the 15th century

Cite this Entry

“Badge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badge. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

badge

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

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