badge

1 of 2

noun

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
During the badges’ centuries of popularity, pilgrims came to use them as more than protective amulets. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Mar. 2024 So far, users have tallied more than 1.1 million badges , said Ann Weeby, senior vice president of Trailhead. Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The circumference of the face features special symbols representing Schumacher’s seven F1 victories, his racing helmet, and the Prancing Horse badge. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024 His older brother, Ryan, was part of an 11-member Cub Scout group trying to earn skating badges. Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 Recruiters needed to find people willing to wear the badge. Carolyn Van Houten, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Unsurprisingly, the Arsenal captain was first to step up in the nerve-shredding penalty shootout, dispatching his effort without a fuss, then celebrating by pumping his chest and slapping the badge on his shirt. Ben Church, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 On Thursday, March 7, badge pickup is open 8am to 11pm. Martine Paris, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Exclusive drink specials, party cup, badge, lanyard with bottle opener and afterparty. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 10 Mar. 2024
Verb
All SLs are now badged as Mercedes-AMG rather than Mercedes-Benz. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 15 Feb. 2024 Hunt badged into her office and proceeded through security. Elliot Ackerman, WIRED, 5 Feb. 2024 Unlike Audi, which will build its own engines, Porsche was believed to be looking to badge an existing F1 engine program by taking over Red Bull Powertrains, which the race team set up when its engine supplier Honda announced plans to quit the sport. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 3 Feb. 2023 Netflix employees were badging out of the Icon, the streaming giant’s cantilevered glass tower. Gale Holland, Anchorage Daily News, 17 July 2022 An Alfa Romeo–badged baby-changing station replaces the standard trunk cover and slides in and out as needed. Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 28 Mar. 2023 The Nightshade edition turns the grille, rear bumper, and badges black and now features eye-catching bronze wheels. Caleb Miller, Car and Driver, 10 May 2023 There will be an online offering, available only to badge holders, which will see certain films have online screenings that start the day after the in-person premiere, available for a 48-hour viewing window. Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 Feb. 2022 In another initiative aimed at boosting revenue, Twitter plans to start charging companies to maintain the gold check-mark verification badges the company introduced in December, which replaced the blue check-marks for businesses. Todd Spangler, Variety, 18 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'badge.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near badge

Cite this Entry

“Badge.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/badge. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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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