badge
badge — noun
- badgesingular
- badgesplural
1. A small flat object made of metal, plastic, or cloth that people attach to their
A small flat object made of metal, plastic, or cloth that people attach to their clothing or carry with them to show which organisation they belong to, what position they hold, or what they have achieved.
Factory employees wear a plastic badge showing their photo and job title.
wear + a badge + photo/title
Yuki pinned her new scout badge onto her uniform just before the awards ceremony.
pin + a badge onto + uniform
The conference organisers asked all visitors to wear a name badge at all times.
Jack's hospital badge shows that he works in the emergency department.
Folake collected badges from each national park she visited and put them on her bag.
- emblem
more symbolic or formal; an emblem can be a design pictured on a flag or shield rather than a wearable object
- insignia
more formal term for official badges of rank or membership, often found on military uniforms
- pin
overlaps for small badges fastened with a pin; in American English 'pin' is more common for decorative or support badges
文法句型
badge + noun (as modifier)
wear + a badge
用法筆記
Object can be worn (pinned, clipped, or attached to clothing) or carried (shown on a lanyard). In British English, 'badge' is the common term; in American English, 'button' or 'pin' may be used for certain types.
常見錯誤
2. A round pin that people fasten to their clothing to express support for a politi
A round pin that people fasten to their clothing to express support for a political party, a sports team, a cause, or a public figure.
Hana wore a round badge with her favourite candidate's face during the election campaign.
badge + with + face/logo on it
Kabir collected badges from every music festival he attended and pinned them onto his backpack.
collect + badges from [event]
The charity handed out small blue badges to everyone who donated money at the shop.
Théo fastened a yellow badge to his coat to support the local football team.
文法句型
wear + a badge
badge + for + noun
用法筆記
Frequently used in political or fundraising contexts. Unlike the general membership badge (sense 1), this type is primarily decorative and expresses a personal opinion rather than official status.
3. A piece of fabric that displays a design, text, or symbol and is sewn onto a uni
A piece of fabric that displays a design, text, or symbol and is sewn onto a uniform or bag to show the wearer's group, rank, skill level, or completed training.
The scout leader's sleeve had cloth badges for hiking, first aid, and camping.
cloth badge for [activity]
Esteban sewed a flag badge onto his jacket to show his home country.
sew + a badge onto [garment]
Quan's uniform had a cloth badge above the pocket with the company's logo on it.
After finishing the training course, each firefighter received a badge to sew onto their uniform.
文法句型
sew + a badge + onto
badge + on + sleeve/shoulder
用法筆記
Unlike the pin-on badge ('SUPPORT PIN' sense 2), this type is made of fabric and is sewn rather than pinned. Common in uniforms for scouts, military personnel, and organisations with progressive skill programmes.
4. A small metal object carried by police officers or other law enforcement officia
A small metal object carried by police officers or other law enforcement officials to prove who they are when they are on duty.
The detective held up his badge and introduced himself to the witness.
hold up + badge
Liang asked to see the badge of a visitor who claimed to be a police officer.
ask to see + [someone's] badge
Roya pinned her police badge onto her vest before starting her night shift.
The security guard's badge was silver, while the police officers wore gold badges.
文法句型
show + badge
flash + badge
police badge
用法筆記
Primarily used for law enforcement. A police badge is typically made of metal and may be displayed on the uniform or carried in a wallet. In some countries, private security guards also carry badges, but they differ in appearance from official police badges.
常見錯誤
5. A quality, achievement, or experience that people view as indicating a particula
A quality, achievement, or experience that people view as indicating a particular status — often a positive one such as honour or pride, but sometimes negative.
For many families, owning their own home is seen as a badge of success.
badge of + [quality]
Liang wore his years of military service as a badge of honour.
In some schools, being good at sports is a badge of popularity among students.
Noa considered the scar from her surgery a badge of survival, not something to hide.
Being able to speak three languages became a badge of pride for the young translator.
- symbol
broader; a symbol can be any object, image, or event that represents something, not limited to status
- mark
slightly more formal; 'a mark of distinction' suggests external recognition rather than personal feeling
- emblem
more formal and visual; an emblem is typically a design or picture that represents an idea or group
文法句型
badge of + noun
wear something as a badge of [quality]
用法筆記
Always occurs in the construction 'badge of [quality/status]' — unlike senses 1–4, no physical object is involved. The quality named is typically an abstract noun such as honour, pride, success, shame, or distinction.
常見錯誤
badge — verb
- badgepresent simple I / you / we / they
- badges3rd person singular
- badging-ing form
- badgedpast simple
1. To attach a badge, label, stamp, or other identifying mark onto an object so tha
To attach a badge, label, stamp, or other identifying mark onto an object so that its origin or purpose is clear.
The library assistant badged every new book with the library's stamp and a barcode.
badge + noun + with + noun
Each piece of factory equipment was badged with the company name before leaving the warehouse.
passive: be badged with [mark]
Felix badged his suitcase with a red tag so he could find it at the airport.
The museum staff badged every item in the new exhibition with a small numbered label.
文法句型
badge + noun + with + noun
badge + noun
用法筆記
Often used in passive constructions ('was badged with'). The object marked can be products, luggage, documents, or exhibition items. This sense is most common in institutional or organisational contexts.
2. To formally present a person with a badge that marks their membership in an orga
To formally present a person with a badge that marks their membership in an organisation or their attainment of a specified skill level.
The scout leader badged the new members after they completed their first-aid training.
badge + [someone]
Every year the organisation badges volunteers who have served for more than ten years.
The principal badged the student council members in a special assembly before the whole school.
The organisers badged each volunteer with a special pin after the charity run ended.
文法句型
badge + noun
be badged as + noun
用法筆記
Much less common than the noun form. Used mainly in the context of organised groups (scouts, volunteer organisations, schools) where achieving a badge is a formal step. The recipient is badged, not the badge itself.
3. To apply a fixed descriptive label to a person or thing, especially one that is
To apply a fixed descriptive label to a person or thing, especially one that is difficult to remove or change afterwards.
The media badged the young activist as a troublemaker before she had spoken publicly.
badge + [someone] + as + [label]
After the team lost three games in a row, newspapers badged them as failures.
Her teachers badged her as a gifted student after she won the science competition.
The company was badged as an innovative leader in the technology industry.
- label
more common in everyday language; 'label' can be neutral, while 'badge' in this sense often implies the label sticks unfairly
- brand
stronger negative connotation; 'brand someone as a liar' suggests damage to reputation
- stereotype
more specific; to stereotype is to apply a fixed set of ideas, whereas 'badge' picks one descriptive word
文法句型
be badged as + noun/adjective
badge + noun + as + noun
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'as' to introduce the label. Frequently passive ('was badged as'). Carries a stronger implication than 'describe' — the label feels imposed and lasting, similar to 'stereotype' or 'pigeonhole'.