badger

bad·ger | \ ˈba-jər

Definition of badger

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : any of various burrowing mammals (especially Taxidea taxus and Meles meles) of the weasel family that are widely distributed in the northern hemisphere

b : the pelt or fur of a badger

2 capitalized : a native or resident of Wisconsin —used as a nickname

badger

verb

badgered; badgering; badgers

Definition of badger (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to harass or annoy persistently … the mill foreman so taunted the workers, so badgered them and told them that they dared not quit …— Sinclair Lewis

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Choose the Right Synonym for badger

Verb

bait, badger, heckle, hector, chivy, hound mean to harass by efforts to break down. bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim. baited the chained dog badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy. badgered her father for a car heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker. drunks heckled the stand-up comic hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering. football players hectored by their coach chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging. chivied the new student mercilessly hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing. hounded by creditors

Examples of badger in a Sentence

Verb She finally badgered me into cutting my hair.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Larger mammals like deer, chamois (a goat antelope), badgers, boars and foxes would be awesome. — Cori Brown, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Cori Brown: Walk on the wild side in Germany," 10 Nov. 2019 David likened himself to a badger because of its tenacity, fierceness and ability to overcome impossible obstacles. — courant.com, "David Michael Dubiel," 23 Oct. 2019 The honey badger, in Internet lore, is a fearless weasel-like creature that terrorizes everything around it, then jams its face into a beehive. — Avi Selk, Washington Post, "Steve Bannon’s fall appears to delight nearly everyone," 10 Jan. 2018 Thompson has the Twitter edit from Roger Bacon assistant AD Brandon Spaeth featuring him holding a badger. — Scott Springer, Cincinnati.com, "Greater Cincinnati high school football athletes make recruiting visits, get offers," 20 Aug. 2019 There aren’t many left in California, but their industry is snuffed out as Gov. Gavin Newsom signs a new law pushed by environmentalists that bans all commercial trapping statewide of coyotes, foxes, beavers, badgers and other animals. — Mercury News Staff, The Mercury News, "Latest line: Uber drivers a winner, fur trappers a loser," 8 Sep. 2019 Or Mark Zuckerberg could go all honey badger about it and dare governments to come get him. — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, "Libra, explained," 26 June 2019 My earliest memories of a packed lunch come courtesy of a precocious badger who was a very picky eater. — Kristen Hartke, BostonGlobe.com, "The best eco-friendly containers to save you from Sad Desk Lunch syndrome," 20 Aug. 2019 My earliest memories of a packed lunch come courtesy of a precocious badger who was a very picky eater. — Kristen Hartke, Washington Post, "The best eco-friendly containers to save you from Sad Desk Lunch syndrome," 20 Aug. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb His tweets have ranged from insulting and badgering his critics and enemies to announcing significant shifts in U.S. policy, but nothing sparked as much interest from his Twitter audience as rapper A$AP Rocky's release in August. — USA Today, "Telling numbers from President Trump's first 1,000 days," 17 Oct. 2019 After much badgering by President Trump to lower interest rates, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome H. Powell signaled that the Fed is almost certain to cut rates at the end of this month. — latimes.com, "Today: Not on Their Front Walk," 11 July 2019 Evans was supported by Price, who badgered Metro General Counsel Patricia Y. Lee and made false statements about the inquiry’s results. — Robert Mccartney, Washington Post, "House GOP wants deeper investigation of Jack Evans Metro scandal," 10 Sep. 2019 Among the 10 species reported taken were coyote, gray fox, beaver, badger and mink. — Los Angeles Times, "California becomes first state to ban fur trapping after Gov. Newsom signs law," 4 Sep. 2019 Trump has badgered the Federal Reserve to cut its policy rate, and market rates are low too. — Los Angeles Times, "U.S. budget deficit to top $1 trillion in 2020, two years sooner than expected," 21 Aug. 2019 Weist’s job seems to consist of badgering his charges to post more videos and herding them from one meet-and-greet to the next. — Los Angeles Times, "Review: ‘Jawline’ examines the fleeting fame of live streams," 21 Aug. 2019 Y’all have been badgering my ass to get a contract story the last three weeks. — Jori Epstein, USA TODAY, "LB Jaylon Smith, Dallas Cowboys agree to long-term contract extension," 20 Aug. 2019 In the series, Fairstein is shown badgering police and fellow prosecutors to secure confessions and to hide exculpatory evidence from the defense. — Martha Ross, The Mercury News, "Daughter’s high school graduation gives Felicity Huffman something to celebrate," 11 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'badger.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.