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• brand name
  brand name

  noun

  a word, name, symbol, etc., especially one legally registered as a trademark, used by a manufacturer or merchant to identify its products distinctively from others of the same type and usually prominently displayed on its goods, in advertising, etc.
• brand-name
  brand-name

  adjective

  having or being a brand name.

brand name

¹ American  

noun

• brand names
  plural

1. a word, name, symbol, etc., especially one legally registered as a trademark, used by a manufacturer or merchant to identify its products distinctively from others of the same type and usually prominently displayed on its goods, in advertising, etc.

2. a product, line of products, or service bearing a widely known brand name.

3. Informal. a person who is notable or famous, especially in a particular field.

   The reception was replete with brand names from politics and the arts.

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brand-name ² American  

[brand-naym] / ˈbrændˌneɪm /

adjective

1. having or being a brand name.

   nationally known brand-name food products.

2. Informal. widely familiar; well-known.

   Several brand-name personalities will be performing at the benefit.

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brand name British  

noun

1. another name for brand

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• brand names
  plural

Etymology

Origin of brand name¹

First recorded in 1920–25

Origin of brand-name²

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

brand name brand-name

Among moviegoers, Roy Lee is far from a brand name.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

A new project can always use a helping hand — some popular IP, a respected brand name — to skip to the front of the line and cross the velvet rope to an audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

“If it’s just slapping a brand name on a pre-existing screen, that feels very deceptive and dishonest to me,” Storch said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 3, 2026

But it also blamed its current poor trading on "challenging retail conditions" and its inability to keep the WH Smith brand name.

From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026

A name that was not a joke, nor a disguise, nor a brand name.

From "Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

Like most doctors, he only prescribes brand-name GLP-1s made by Eli Lilly and Novo rather than the compounded, copies versions made by special pharmacies and commonly sold by telehealth companies and med spas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The rate at which available biosimilars are actually dispensed to patients over brand-name counterparts fell to 23% in 2025, down from about 40% in 2024.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

In 2024, brand-name drugs still under patent protection accounted for just one in 10 of the drugs prescribed to patients and 87.7% of the costs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

All of the major brand-name medications people currently use for weight loss are based on one of two molecules: semaglutide or tirzepatide, and most are self-injected weekly.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026

Not your mainstream, nationwide, brand-name mover, either, just some cheapo local outfit.

From "Freak The Mighty" by Rodman Philbrick