badge
Americannoun
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badges
plural
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a special or distinctive mark, token, or device worn as a sign of allegiance, membership, authority, achievement, etc..
a police badge;
a merit badge.
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any emblem, token, or distinctive mark.
He thinks rich people buy art mainly as a badge of their sophistication and success.
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a card bearing identifying information, as one's name, symbol or place of employment, or academic affiliation, and often worn pinned to one's clothing.
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Digital Technology. digital badge.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a distinguishing emblem or mark worn to signify membership, employment, achievement, etc
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any revealing feature or mark
Usage
What does badge mean? A badge is a small object or card used to identify oneself in an official way. Most commonly, badge refers to the small metal medallion worn or carried by police officers or other law enforcement members. They’re often shaped like shields or stars. Badge also commonly refers to the official identification card of a worker, especially one that’s pinned to their clothing or worn on a lanyard or cord around their neck. Such badges are often used for security purposes—having a badge allows a worker to enter the building or access certain parts of it. Example: You pull another stunt like that and I’ll have you turn in your badge, Officer Hotshot!
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of badge
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English baggys (plural); akin to Anglo-French bage “badge, emblem”; further origin unknown
Explanation
Police officers wear a badge — a shiny piece of metal that lets you know they're cops. Badges can also be metaphors — for example, a scar could considered be a badge of honor. Police officers are the best-known badge-wearers, but lots of employees — especially federal employees — have to wear some kind of badge to work. The badge lets other people know who you are and what you do. Other kinds of badges are not so official. If a football player broke his leg during a big game, the cast could be called a "badge of honor," because of his playing and his toughness. All badges let others know who you are and why you're important.
Vocabulary lists containing badge
"Glencoe Accounting: Real-World Applications & Connections," Vocabulary from Chapter 12
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English Language Development Texts, Unit 2
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Girl Scouts Lingo
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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:
Hapoel Jerusalem's club badge now features a silhouette of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was abducted and killed in captivity and whose parents have campaigned for peace through their grief.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
She wore a badge with a picture of her late husband Michael Massaroli, who was a 38-year-old vice president of operations at Cantor Fitzgerald.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
"The foldable risks becoming a premium-priced ornament in the portfolio, imparting badge value but not meaningful growth," said Dipanjan Chatterjee, an analyst at Forrester.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
More importantly, we shouldn’t — even when they wear a badge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
“Police,” McMellon called out, holding up his badge.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
For performances I would put little chains on my gown and wear bedazzled badges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
They are supposed to earn badges, develop skills, sell things, handle money, go camping, meet new people, encounter unfamiliar places, ask questions, solve problems and make decisions.
From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2026
Last year, the company rolled out “GLP-1 Friendly” badges for its Healthy Choice line of frozen meals, which already ticked some of the boxes users are after.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
"Alongside artist profiles that self-disclose as AI Personas, we will also start applying badges to relevant profiles," the company said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
The fact was that Malcolm would have liked one of those badges very much.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Marketers will also be watching for whether LLMs will preclude paid-for social media endorsements that are badged with #ad or similar disclosures in their results.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It is, in all but name, Britain's first air-conditioning subsidy - but it is badged as a heat pump, and only worth a third of the £7,500 for a heating-only model.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
As for the "verified" dead, a few users have pointed out that some were badged anew without the consent of their estates or loved ones.
From Salon ● Apr. 25, 2023
Perry Cooper, media relations manager at Sea-Tac, said the number of badged employees at the airport went from 25,000 before the pandemic to around 17,500 mid-pandemic.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2021
Public servants we are, badged and numbered, bound to do work by fixed rule and charge, so what I say is that you should treat us accordingly.
From Christmas Penny Readings Original Sketches for the Season by George Manville Fenn
PS: The Nightshade suffix refers to an exterior trim grade that bundles together the blacked-out grille, badging, 20-inch wheels, mirror caps, door handles, roof pillars and lower rear bumper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025
High-quality photos may encourage viewers to picture themselves living in a property, while the use of badging listings with terms like "Highlight" or "Just added" fuels the fear of missing out.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2024
Without its badging, the Stinger would be mistaken for a premium sport sedan by anyone who drove it or saw it passing by.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 12, 2023
Lincoln’s badging, which appears similar to the automaker’s Star concept announced earlier this year, appears as an illuminated display on the front of the vehicle.
From The Verge ● Aug. 22, 2022
The "badging" of beggars was a favourite scheme of Swift's for the better regulation of the many who infested the city of Dublin as tramps and idlers.
From The Prose Works of Jonathan Swift, D.D. - Volume 07 Historical and Political Tracts-Irish by Temple Scott
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.
