badge
Americannoun
-
badges
plural
-
a special or distinctive mark, token, or device worn as a sign of allegiance, membership, authority, achievement, etc..
a police badge;
a merit badge.
-
any emblem, token, or distinctive mark.
He thinks rich people buy art mainly as a badge of their sophistication and success.
-
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.
-
Digital Technology. digital badge.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a distinguishing emblem or mark worn to signify membership, employment, achievement, etc
-
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
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!
English Language Development Texts, Unit 2
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!
Girl Scouts Lingo
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:
"It is a badge of honour for Israeli society, and it was remarkable to see how deep the desire for democracy is in Israel," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Military fatigues are worn like a badge of honor in Jerusalem’s historic center, where young recruits sling automatic weapons over their shoulders.
From Slate ● Oct. 28, 2026
When the driver of the orange vehicle saw him, Bonakdar said, Bridges was not wearing a face covering, as immigration agents often do, or a badge or tactical vest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
In exchange, they would also have to badge in and out of their air-traffic facilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
US soldiers could earn a South Vietnamese parachutist badge as well as American versions.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
She said that after her employees’ federal badges expired last month, they were eventually reinstated until Oct.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Judge Timothy Kelly ruled the removal of press badges was likely done without constitutionally adequate due process.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026
Both CNN and Politico also said Saturday morning that their reporters were denied access and had their badges seized.
From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026
A self-described “workaholic,” Cook famously wakes up at 4 a.m. to read customer and employee emails, then hits the gym and badges into Apple Park when he’s not traveling for diplomatic meetings or supply-chain audits.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 29, 2026
I continued to watch them on the lobby camera as they waved their IOI badges, blew past the security station, and filed onto the elevator.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
Given the geopolitical terrain, North American buyers may see their first solid-state BEVs badged as Toyotas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 28, 2026
While he said he would not want "badged" British Army soldiers there, he could support their presence as part of a UN peacekeeping force.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2025
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
Musk himself sneered at the concept in a tweet on Tuesday, describing the current division between the badged and unbadged as a “lords and peasants system.”
From Washington Post ● Nov. 3, 2022
And now I saw Sir John in full uniform of his rank, badged with mourning, yet all a-glitter with medals and orders, slowly dismount, while gillie Bareshanks held his stirrup.
From Cardigan by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers
Employees are still coffee badging, the practice of swiping into the office and sticking around long enough to have a cup of coffee before heading out to finish the workday at home or elsewhere.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
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
"The blue ticks on these accounts tell us one thing we already knew: X's pay-for-play badging is just a revenue generator and not a serious verification effort."
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2025
“We can watch things like badging data, and it continues to go up for us,” says Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of modern work, who advises CEO Satya Nadella on hybrid work strategy.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 23, 2022
It has been getting skilled men back from the trenches, and advising the Ministry as to the "badging" of munition workers.
From The War on All Fronts: England's Effort Letters to an American Friend by Joseph Hodges Choate
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
