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 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

The Indiana State Fair has earned a top-10 badge among other top contenders like the Minnesota State Fair, the State Fair of Texas, the Iowa State Fair, and more. —Samanta Habashy, IndyStar, 7 Aug. 2025

In 2009, Ford followed up the Blackwood and Mark LT with the F-150 Platinum, boasting the luxury features expected of a body-on-frame Lincoln but paired with a badge better associated with truck-dom. —Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 5 Aug. 2025

Verb

When an employee badges into an office but doesn’t actually work there that day, or in some cases, doesn’t enter at all and has someone else swipe in for them, an organization loses its ability to accurately validate an employee’s location. —Rob Lydic, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

Launched in 1959 and first exported stateside in 1960, the Mini—initially badged Austin Seven or Morris Mini Minor—miraculously combined the nimble handling of an MG or Austin-Healey with the practicality and low running costs of a VW Bug. —Tim Pitt, Robb Report, 30 July 2025

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