badger
Americannoun
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any of various burrowing, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, as Taxidea taxus, of North America, and Meles meles, of Europe and Asia.
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the fur of this mammal.
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Australian.
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a wombat.
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(initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of Wisconsin the Badger State (used as a nickname).
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a swablike device for cleaning excess mortar from the interiors of newly laid tile drains.
verb (used with object)
noun
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any of various stocky omnivorous musteline mammals of the subfamily Melinae , such as Meles meles ( Eurasian badger ), occurring in Europe, Asia, and North America: order Carnivora (carnivores). They are typically large burrowing animals, with strong claws and a thick coat striped black and white on the head Compare ferret badger hog badger
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another name for ratel
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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badgersimple
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badgerssimple
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have badgeredperfect
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has badgeredperfect
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am badgeringprogressive
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are badgeringprogressive
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is badgeringprogressive
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have been badgeringperfect progressive
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has been badgeringperfect progressive
Past
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badgeredsimple
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had badgeredperfect
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was badgeringprogressive
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were badgeringprogressive
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had been badgeringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of badger
1515–25; variant of badgeard, perhaps badge + -ard, in allusion to white mark or badge on head
Explanation
Badger is to bother. Persistently. On and on. Without stop. Relentlessly. Over and over. Endlessly. It comes from the name of that chipmunk-like animal that burrows into the ground. If you badger someone, you get under their skin. A badger is an animal that digs tunnels under ground to keep warm. To badger can also mean to persuade someone through constant annoying efforts. You might badger your mom to add another hour to your curfew or badger your friend to give you a turn with a video game he has been hogging.
Vocabulary lists containing badger
A Vocabulary Bestiary: Animals That Behave as Verbs
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The Cay
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Amazing Animals, A-Z
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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:
Asked whether Wales could see badger culling in future in response to bovine TB he said he agreed with Wales' TB Programme Board that the disease should be addressed "in wildlife" as well as livestock.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
"He deserves better than being replaced by a badger," he said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
The Government last month said it will not be extending the badger cull and retains its commitment to end the practice before the next election.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2025
Captured on a quiet road in St Leonards-on-Sea, England by British photographer Ian Wood, the badger appears to glance up at a graffiti version of itself designed by the mysterious artist.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2025
The badger clacked her claws in front of her snout, thinking intently.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Possibilities, subject to a public consultation, include badgers and otters as well as frogs, hedgehogs, barn owls and newts.
From Barron's ● Mar. 12, 2026
The proposed openings in the wall, about the size of a piece of paper, would provide passage for animals like bobcats, badgers and even female mountain lions and their young.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 1, 2026
“We’ve planted 20,000 trees around the site, we’ve replaced habitats and homes for protected species like bats, newts and badgers and created wildflower meadows specifically for wildlife foraging,” the company said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 12, 2025
The cameras have captured badgers, foxes and hedgehogs as well as the nesting swifts.
From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2025
In Montana, the only animals that dug holes like that were gophers and badgers, and Roy was positive there weren’t many of those in Florida.
From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
In another encounter, he says, a woman appeared to have been "badgered into it".
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Later headlines would say that Solanas believed Warhol “controlled her life” and that he had “legal claim” over her self-published writing, which she frequently badgered him to read.
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2026
Although she performed as a hostess in Washington—she preferred it greatly to Albany—she badgered Seward almost constantly to give up politics and settle for a quiet life lawyering in Auburn.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026
For months, Meta’s algorithm badgered me to buy a little piece of plastic mounted on a magnet.
From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2025
My dad badgered us into watching Doctor Who, starting with the old-school episodes, and we got hooked.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Costco raised its fees in 2024 — the first such increase in seven years — after months of badgering from Wall Street.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 2, 2026
Those of ancient lineage may be thinking of the infamous LBJ phone call badgering the head of ABC to get college-football broadcasts for Lady Bird’s TV station.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
She added: "Your constant pestering, badgering and, eventually, attendance at their home address on a dark evening in December was unwarranted."
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2025
Her Bertha is the kindly, nurturing counterweight to Seth’s badgering boisterousness, a quality Morris infuses with just enough avuncular affection.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2025
Eva lumbered through the crowds, badgering people for information and updates.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
