badge

[baj]

noun

1. a special or distinctive mark, token, or device worn as a sign of allegiance, membership, authority, achievement, etc..

   a police badge;

   a merit badge.

   Synonyms: earmark, hallmark, seal, shield, insignia

2. any emblem, token, or distinctive mark.

   He thinks rich people buy art mainly as a badge of their sophistication and success.

3. 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.

4. Digital Technology.,  digital badge.

verb (used with object)

badged, badging 

1. to furnish or mark with a badge.

badge

/ bædʒ /

noun

1. a distinguishing emblem or mark worn to signify membership, employment, achievement, etc

2. any revealing feature or mark

Other Word Forms

• badgeless adjective
• unbadged adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of badge¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English baggys (plural); akin to Anglo-French bage “badge, emblem”; further origin unknown

Word History and Origins

Origin of badge¹

C14: from Norman French bage ; related to Anglo-Latin bagia

Example Sentences

The next generation of operatives, campaign managers and elected officials is being incubated in a digital ecosystem that rewards cruelty, embraces fascist imagery and treats bigotry as a badge of ideological authenticity.

Read more on Salon

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in a recent interview that while some Americans wear the label “China hawk” as a badge of honor, it is really “a badge of shame.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In 2015, a group of young girls wearing matching brown berets and uniforms, decorated with colorful badges, arrived at a Black Lives Matter protest in Oakland, CA.

Read more on Salon

While he said he would not want "badged" British Army soldiers there, he could support their presence as part of a UN peacekeeping force.

Read more on BBC

In Amazon parlance, seasonal employees are referred to as “white badges,” while part- and full-time employees are “blue badges.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• identification 
• insignia 
• marker 
• medallion 
• pin 
• ribbon 
• stamp 
• symbol 
• token 

When To Use

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!