badger
Americannoun
-
any of various burrowing, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, as Taxidea taxus, of North America, and Meles meles, of Europe and Asia.
-
the fur of this mammal.
-
Australian.
-
a wombat.
-
-
(initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of Wisconsin the Badger State (used as a nickname).
-
a swablike device for cleaning excess mortar from the interiors of newly laid tile drains.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
any of various stocky omnivorous musteline mammals of the subfamily Melinae , such as Meles meles ( Eurasian badger ), occurring in Europe, Asia, and North America: order Carnivora (carnivores). They are typically large burrowing animals, with strong claws and a thick coat striped black and white on the head Compare ferret badger hog badger
-
another name for ratel
verb
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- unbadgered adjective
- unbadgering adjective
Etymology
Origin of badger
1515–25; variant of badgeard, perhaps badge + -ard, in allusion to white mark or badge on head
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The creatures, which are genetically related to weasels and badgers, are widespread in Alaska and Canada, with smaller populations in Washington and Idaho, according to wildlife officials.
From Los Angeles Times
One lineage gave rise to all other animals on Earth, from brontosauruses to badgers.
From Science Magazine
Foxes and badgers also come under this category.
From BBC
On some sections he stuck to the middle of the road to avoid surprising elephants, and elsewhere he saw honey badgers crossing the road.
From BBC
He badgers librarians with questions and requests curators to conduct spectral tests on selected pictures to see what concealed image lurks beneath layers of overprint.
From Washington Post
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
