badge

1 of 2

noun

ˈbaj 

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 (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

Noun

This year, practice-round tickets went for $125 and $150, individual tournament rounds cost $160 and four-day tournament badges were $525. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 9 Apr. 2026

There, seasons 1 and 2 still boast their Certified Fresh badges with respective scores of 80% and 78% approval. —Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026

Verb

Raham then asked Linton for his name and badge number in order to file a complaint against him. —City News Service, Daily News, 8 Apr. 2026

The radiation exposure of the Artemis 2 crew will be gauged by Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessors (HERA) and by small Crew Active Dosimeter badges that the crew will wear. —Leonard David, Space.com, 31 Mar. 2026

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

Phrases Containing badge

• badge of honor/pride
• film badge

Rhymes for badge

• hajj
• madge

Kids Definition

badge

noun

ˈbaj 

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