badger 1 of 2

badger

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word badger distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of badger are bait, chivy, heckle, hector, and hound. While all these words mean "to harass by efforts to break down," badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

When could bait be used to replace badger?

The words bait and badger are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

When might chivy be a better fit than badger?

The words chivy and badger can be used in similar contexts, but chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

When is it sensible to use heckle instead of badger?

The synonyms heckle and badger are sometimes interchangeable, but heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

In what contexts can hector take the place of badger?

Although the words hector and badger have much in common, hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

When would hound be a good substitute for badger?

The meanings of hound and badger largely overlap; however, hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of badger
Verb
Wednesday brought more news that could influence the Fed's path, Trump's badgering notwithstanding. Jeff Cox, CNBC, 30 July 2025 Without badgering her, continue to educate your roommate on the need for water discipline and the urgency of conserving it. Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 30 July 2025
Noun
In 2024, the database also includes planes colliding with three alligators in Florida, a mongoose in Hawaii, a badger in North Dakota and numerous coyotes, bats, skunks and opossums. Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 25 July 2025 Non-incubating male curlews didn’t have the same response to the fake badger, according to the study. Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for badger
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badger
Verb
  • Trump teased this announcement during his Oval Office event Tuesday afternoon.
    Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2025
  • The radio host was set to return to his SiriusXM show this morning, after nearly a month of teasing a big reveal surrounding rumors that his show would be canceled.
    Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Hikers will pass by Texas persimmon trees and bluestem prairie grass, with armadillos and rabbits popping in and out of the wilderness.
    Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Blanket flowers are deer and rabbit-resistant and drought-tolerant.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Over iMessage, John pleaded with her not to post the images, but Sarah continued to hound him for money.
    Thomas Brewster, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
  • One of those fans happens to be Angela Bassett‘s sister, who has apparently been hounding Bassett about the potential return of her on-screen hubby.
    Andy Swift, TVLine, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • These unique squirrels have a speckled brownish gray coat with shorter tails that are not as bushy as the more common fox squirrels.
    Karl Schneider, IndyStar, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Some sources list 10 varieties of fox squirrels, such as the Southern, Northern, Mangrove, Bryant, and Texas.
    Charles Elliott, Outdoor Life, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • But, for a few moments, the raccoon was our star.
    Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
  • Install chimney caps to keep raccoons out.
    Chad Murphy, The Enquirer, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Levi studies the endangered Humboldt marten, a small carnivore that lives on the Northern California and Southern Oregon coast.
    Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
  • This acquisition will improve the habitat for Wisconsin’s endangered American marten, which has been facing a dwindling habitat.
    Noël Fletcher, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The otter’s work in the wild presents unique dangers, most notably from alligators that aren’t present in Splash’s training pools.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Swift herself broke back in to say that Kelce doesn’t want to take an otter out of the wild, as in taking a pup from its mother.
    Martha Ross, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Around that same time, English merchants began offering Caribbean rum to the Shawnee and other Native groups as part of the trade in deerskins and beaver pelts.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 30 Aug. 2025
  • Similarly, beaver populations dramatically declined in much of the park by the mid-20th century due to trapping.
    Madison Dapcevich, Outside, 29 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Badger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badger. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.

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