Meaning & use
badger
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Meanings
nouncountable
A stocky wild animal with gray fur and a black and white striped face, living in underground burrows and coming out at night.
Grammar: Has a plural: badgers.
Patterns
- a badger sett
- a badger cull
A badger crossed the lane just after sunset.
The family watched the badgers feed on the lawn.
Badgers dig large burrows called setts.
verbtransitive
To keep asking or pressing someone, often until they give in.
Grammar: Takes an object, often with into or for: badger him into agreeing.
Patterns
- badger someone into doing something
- badger someone for something
- badger someone about something
The children badgered their mother for a puppy.
Reporters badgered the minister until he answered.
She badgered her brother into helping with the move.
noununcountabletechnical
Fur from the animal, used to make brushes, especially shaving brushes.
Grammar: Used before another noun: a badger brush.
Patterns
- badger hair
He prefers a shaving brush made of badger hair.
Fine badger bristles hold lather well.
Word forms
| plural | badgers |
|---|---|
| third person singular | badgers |
| past tense | badgered |
| past participle | badgered |
| -ing form | badgering |
Common combinations
- badger someone for
- He badgered his dad for money.
- badger into
- They badgered her into joining the club.
- badger sett
- The walkers found a badger sett under the hedge.
- badger cull
- The badger cull sparked protests.
- constantly badger
- The salesman constantly badgered customers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pester
- Pester means to annoy someone with frequent requests and is a bit lighter than badger.
- nag
- Nag suggests repeated complaints or reminders, often from someone close to you.
- harass
- Harass is stronger, suggesting aggressive or unlawful bothering, while badger is usually just persistent.
- hound
- Hound suggests following and pressing someone relentlessly, so it can feel more threatening than badger.
Opposites
Word family
- badgering noun
- the act of pressing someone persistently
- badger-baiting noun
- the cruel, now illegal, old sport of setting dogs on badgers
Commonly confused: badger or bother? badger or badge?
badger vs bother
Bother means to trouble or disturb someone, while badger specifically means asking again and again to get something.
badger vs badge
A badge is a small emblem worn on clothing, and it is not related to the animal or the verb.
Practice
The reporters kept _____ the mayor with the same question.
Choose one answer.
After kept, the verb needs the -ing form, so badgering is correct. The other forms do not fit this structure.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “badger”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.