badger

1 of 2

noun

bad·​ger ˈba-jər 

1

a

: 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

2 of 2

verb

badgered; badgering; badgers

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

Choose the Right Synonym for badger

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 going.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Wisconsin, which is the badger state, not only recognized what the animal on their label was, but some wine buyers are sad to see the label go. —Jeanette Hurt, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025

The next few weeks may be a crucial test of the honey badgers’ resilience. —Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2025

Verb

Speed isn’t Thomas’ game, but badgering receivers into submission until the QB decides to stop looking their way works just as well. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Apr. 2025

At times, the alienation effects smack of college-level Brecht, as when Macheath badgers the pit musicians and burns a fake copy of the score. —Alex Ross, New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably reduction of bageard, badgerde, from badge entry 1 + -ard; from the white mark on its forehead

Verb

from the sport of baiting badgers

First Known Use

Noun

1523, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1782, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

badger

1 of 2 noun

bad·​ger ˈbaj-ər 

: any of several sturdy burrowing flesh-eating mammals widely distributed in the northern hemisphere

also : the pelt or fur of a badger

badger

2 of 2 verb

badgered; badgering

ˈbaj-(ə-)riŋ

: to annoy again and again