badger

[ baj-er ]

noun

1. any of various burrowing, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, as Taxidea taxus, of North America, and Meles meles, of Europe and Asia.
2. the fur of this mammal.
3. Australian.
   1. a wombat.
   2. bandicoot ( def 2 ).
4. (initial capital letter) a native or inhabitant of Wisconsin the Badger State (used as a nickname).
5. a swablike device for cleaning excess mortar from the interiors of newly laid tile drains.

verb (used with object)

1. to harass or urge persistently; pester; nag:

   I had to badger him into coming with us.

   Synonyms: worry, plague, bedevil, vex, bait, disturb

badger

/ ˈbædʒə /

noun

1. 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
2. honey badger
   another name for ratel

verb

1. tr to pester or harass

Other Words From

• un·badgered adjective
• un·badger·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of badger¹

1515–25; variant of badgeard, perhaps badge + -ard, in allusion to white mark or badge on head

Word History and Origins

Origin of badger¹

C16: variant of badgeard , probably from badge (from the white mark on its forehead) + -ard

Example Sentences

Those with full-day lift tickets or season passes for Badger Pass are also exempt.

From Los Angeles Times

Badgers tunnelling under a road in Lincolnshire have caused £100,000 worth of damage, a council has said.

From BBC

But when he snapped the ball, three Badger blitzers broke loose.

From Los Angeles Times

Over his four years at Red Bull, he became known as the Honey Badger – for the affable demeanour which belied his killer racing instincts.

From BBC

A botched punt and early miscues put the Trojans in a hole against the visiting Badgers, but a strong second half gave USC a victory on Saturday afternoon.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• annoy
• bully
• goad
• harass
• heckle
• hound
• pester
• tease
• torment