brand
noun
the kind, grade, or make of a product or service, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like.
brand
1 American
[brand]
/ brænd /
noun
-
brands
plural
-
the kind, grade, or make of a product or service, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like.
the best brand of coffee.
-
a mark made by burning or otherwise, to indicate kind, grade, make, ownership, etc.
-
a mark formerly put upon criminals with a hot iron.
-
any mark of disgrace; stigma.
-
a kind or variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic.
The movie was filled with slapstick—a brand of humor he did not find funny.
-
a set of distinctive characteristics that establish a recognizable image or identity for a person or thing.
Building your personal brand will positively impact your career.
-
a burning or partly burned piece of wood.
-
Archaic. a sword.
verb (used with object)
-
brands,
present (3rd person singular)
-
branded,
past participle, past
-
branding
present participle
-
to label or mark with or as if with a brand.
-
to mark with disgrace or infamy; stigmatize.
-
to impress indelibly.
The plane crash was branded on her mind.
-
to give a brand name to.
branded merchandise.
-
to promote as a brand or brand name.
idioms
Brand
2
American
[brand]
/ brænd /
noun
-
Oscar, 1920–2016, U.S. folk singer, born in Canada.
-
a male given name.
brand
1
British
/ brænd /
noun
-
a particular product or a characteristic that serves to identify a particular product
-
a trade name or trademark
-
a particular kind or variety
he had his own brand of humour
-
an identifying mark made, usually by burning, on the skin of animals or (formerly) slaves or criminals, esp as a proof of ownership
-
an iron heated and used for branding animals, etc
-
a mark of disgrace or infamy; stigma
he bore the brand of a coward
-
a burning or burnt piece of wood, as in a fire
-
archaic
-
a flaming torch
-
a sword
-
-
a fungal disease of garden plants characterized by brown spots on the leaves, caused by the rust fungus Puccinia arenariae
verb
-
to label, burn, or mark with or as with a brand
-
to place indelibly in the memory
the scene of slaughter was branded in their minds
-
to denounce; stigmatize
they branded him a traitor
-
to give a product a distinctive identity by means of characteristic design, packaging, etc
Brand
2
British
/ brænd /
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
brandsimple
-
brandssimple
-
have brandedperfect
-
has brandedperfect
-
am brandingprogressive
-
are brandingprogressive
-
is brandingprogressive
-
have been brandingperfect progressive
-
has been brandingperfect progressive
Past
-
brandedsimple
-
had brandedperfect
-
was brandingprogressive
-
were brandingprogressive
-
had been brandingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of brand
First recorded before 950; Middle English, Old English: “burning, a burning piece of wood, torch, sword”; cognate with Dutch brand, German Brand, Old Norse brandr; akin to burn 1
Explanation
If your friend buys her jeans based on the brand, it means that the name on the label of her pants is very important to her. A brand is a product name. The cereal aisle at the grocery store is a good place to see how many different brands there are of the same product. A company name, or the name it invents for a particular item or service, is a brand. Another kind of brand is the verb that means to mark or name something in a negative way. If you brand your classmate as a bully, you accuse him of bullying and expose his behavior to other people.
Vocabulary lists containing brand
Material World: Shopping Lingo
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Business, List 1
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 15
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Andrew Dutton, from Silverdale, was loyal to the brand, even if he could not keep the same bike.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Once again, he said, the state was trying to rip away his good name and falsely brand him a killer.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
The company has rolled out new chicken-nugget lines in recent years and it said it has grown its Just Bare brand to 13% of chicken market share from 1% in three years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
The chicken brand opens a restaurant every 3.5 hours somewhere in the world on average.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
She rushed to the chest for the brand and threw it into the fire.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” also brought out the masses, with the biggest domestic opening of all time, earning $360 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
From the World Cup and “The Odyssey” to “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” we’re finally all watching the same things, giddily cheering for goals and legendary heroes, be they super or otherwise.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
For Spider-Man: Brand New Day, she customised her look with spiderweb henna.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
That total was no match for “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
Once, one of the warders, a very pleasant young man named Warrant Officer Brand, actually took me to his family’s flat and introduced me to his wife and children.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
But it also lends weight to a theory I’m tracking that the short story is due a big comeback—potentially giving brands a way into arguably one of the last advertising-free spaces in society: the bookstore.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026
Consumer group Which? said it has "repeatedly exposed businesses, including trusted household brands, ripping off customers with dodgy deals that aren't what they seem".
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Chinese brands with deep pockets are creatively moving in.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
Russo expects Chinese brands to establish a larger global footprint through local investments and partnerships rather than exports alone.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
It was one of those nofrills brands, and the label had said chocolate mint, but it tasted more like boiled Scope.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
So when they go to school, it's not going to be just the three branded things, you're going to have to fork out for the full items.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
Parents must now buy a branded jumper, a tie, and two branded PE tops for summer and winter.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
A new law coming into force in September means parents in England should have to buy fewer branded items of school uniform, which the government says will save them money.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
It estimates the average cost of the branded parts of the uniform last year was £101.94 with a pinafore, and £83.95 without – but this year it will cost families an average of £53.97.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
The werewolf might be allowed to wear Death Eater robes when they wanted to use him, but only Voldemort’s inner circle were branded with the Dark Mark: Greyback had not been granted this highest honor.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
WCC insists there is no plan to ban pub-goers in Soho from drinking while standing up, branding reporting of anything of that nature "utterly ludicrous".
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The business, recognized by its distinctive orange branding, controls valuable takeoff and landing slots at some of the region’s busiest airports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
“Disney’s Infinity Vision branding is just a way to highlight those pre-existing deluxe screens,” Puricelli said.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026
But Taco Bell, led since 2023 by Chief Executive Sean Tresvant, has mastered its branding and digital appeal skillfully enough to overcome these obstacles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
She had always burned the books I had brought into the house, branding them as worldly; but she would have to tolerate these papers if she was to keep her promise to me.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
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.
