Definition of BADGER

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

Animal bristles from boars, hogs and badgers — used by mustache and beard groomers — were spared the chop. — Daniela Wei, The Seattle Times, "Winners and losers from Trump’s tariffs," 18 Sep. 2018 Lavinia the badger has a problem: A burglar is plundering her vegetable garden. — Meghan Cox Gurdon, WSJ, "Children’s Books: Clickety-Clackety Abracadabra!," 3 Aug. 2018 Zoo staff learned that the tradition of an animal predicting how long winter would continue originated in Europe with a badger or bear often providing the forecast. — Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Awwww! Milwaukee zoo announces arrival of adorable baby groundhog. And he loves broccoli.," 24 June 2018 Dachshunds’ long snouts and bodies were perfectly suited for wriggling into the burrows where badgers hid, and by the 18th century, sausage dogs were being featured in hunting books. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "Germany’s New Dachshund Museum Is Not Just for the Dogs," 10 Apr. 2018 Personal grooming for guys could become pricier since hair clippers and electric shavers are on the new list, as are items such as badger hair and boar bristle that are used in old-fashioned shaving brushes. — Bruce Einhorn, latimes.com, "Trump's trade war is about to hit home — and your home is no exception," 11 July 2018 Hipsters and anyone else coveting the porous, soft-tipped luxury of badger-hair shaving brushes may be among the commenters, as the bristles also made the list published by the U.S. Trade Representative's office. — Dave Mccombs And Andrew Hobbs, chicagotribune.com, "Badger hair, bull semen, MSG among products on Trump's China tariff list," 11 July 2018 Dachshunds, which were bred in the Middle Ages to flush badgers out of their burrows, are the 13th most popular dog breed, according to the American Kennel Club. — Laura M. Holson, New York Times, "That Shaggy Mutt? At Dog Museums, Our Drooling Companions Are the Stars," 22 Apr. 2018 Worse, humans also hunt the animals — deer, badgers and hares — that wild Amur feed on. — Bradley J. Fikes, sandiegouniontribune.com, "For the Fourth, bring out the (San Diego Zoo) babies!," 3 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

But as the 1980s gave way to the 1990s, friends noticed that Mr. Crimmins’s stage act was growing less funny and more harsh, full of ranting and badgering of audience members, as if wrestling with some kind of inner demon. — Neil Genzlinger, New York Times, "Barry Crimmins, Comic and Warrior Against Sex Abuse, Dies at 64," 1 Mar. 2018 Some said Strauss groped them barehanded during physicals, had them drop their pants even while examining them for a cough or heartburn, and badgered students to go home with him. — James Freeman, WSJ, "Jim Jordan and Ohio State," 10 July 2018 While Republicans badgered Strzok and tried to catch him off-guard, Democrats mostly used their time to argue for the importance of the Mueller investigation. — Aaron Blake, BostonGlobe.com, "6 key moments from Peter Strzok’s wild hearing," 12 July 2018 Officials cited examples such as whistling at a woman, badgering her for her phone number or following her on the street. — Amanda Erickson, Washington Post, "France takes a step forward in fighting catcallers but falls short on setting age of consent," 20 May 2018 Some said Strauss groped them barehanded during physicals, had them drop their pants even while examining them for a cough or heartburn, and badgered students to go home with him. — James Freeman, WSJ, "Jim Jordan and Ohio State," 10 July 2018 The honey badger, known for being an aggressive animal, got into a tussle with an antelope at Etosha National Park in Namibia. — Chris Ciaccia, Fox News, "Antelope sends honey badger flying in epic fight," 6 July 2018 Jordan badgered Rosenstein for several minutes, clearly trying to get under his skin. — Aaron Blake, Washington Post, "Rod Rosenstein shuts down Jim Jordan over Fox News report," 28 June 2018 Perhaps if Rattín had simply got on with the game, rather than spending his time badgering the referee, Argentina could have beaten England or, at the very least, taken them all the way to the lottery of a coin toss. — SI.com, "World Cup Countdown: 8 Days to Go - What if Antonio Rattín Hadn’t Been Sent Off?," 6 June 2018

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.