badger 1 of 2

badger

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noun

Synonym Chooser

How is the word badger distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of badger are bait, chivy, heckle, hector, and hound. While all these words mean "to harass by efforts to break down," badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

When could bait be used to replace badger?

The words bait and badger are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

When might chivy be a better fit than badger?

The words chivy and badger can be used in similar contexts, but chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

When is it sensible to use heckle instead of badger?

The synonyms heckle and badger are sometimes interchangeable, but heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

In what contexts can hector take the place of badger?

Although the words hector and badger have much in common, hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

When would hound be a good substitute for badger?

The meanings of hound and badger largely overlap; however, hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of badger
Verb
During his first term, Trump repeatedly badgered Powell and the Fed for hiking interest rates or not cutting them. Paul Davidson, USA TODAY, 7 Nov. 2024 According to Brown's lawsuit, detectives badgered and threatened him during an interrogation lasting more than 34 hours. Landon Mion, Fox News, 10 Sep. 2024
Noun
Mammals such as wolves and badgers also create dens. Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024 After a short retreat, the bloodied badger returned. Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for badger 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for badger
Verb
  • The chart-topping singer teased her appearance on the program last year, sharing moments from her time on the set with popular characters like Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch.
    Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Kyle Dion further teases his next feature-length project along with Journey Montana, who’s gearing up for the arrival of her debut album.
    Mya Abraham, VIBE.com, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • For fine dining, head to Forklift, where your rabbit will be cooked three ways and paired with cauliflower cream.
    Emma John, AFAR Media, 7 Jan. 2025
  • It is known for its slightly maniacal logo of a rabbit with pink ears and its teeth hanging over a skull-and-crossbones and offers men’s and children’s wear in a variety of categories including polos, T-shirts, pants, sportswear and accessories.
    Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • The highlights of Williamson’s 360 windmill dunk will live on, but look at the way Murray and Williamson hounded Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards at the point of attack to create the opportunity.
    William Guillory, The Athletic, 8 Jan. 2025
  • Where to watch:Netflix. 'Smile 2' Imagine Taylor Swift if she was hounded by an infectious evil spirit.
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 24 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • The fear of leaving without her fox was greater than the fear of missing the flight.
    New York Times Games, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The Wild Robot filmmakers found their look when going over early concept art that had the island’s natural environment and its animals — foxes, bears, beavers, opossums and others — drawn in a painterly way.
    Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
  • From the new show Carl the Collector, which features an autistic raccoon, to content with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretations, PBS KIDS is spearheading change in the disability community.
    Jaclyn Greenberg, Parents, 5 Dec. 2024
  • The dead raccoon tested negative for rabies, the agency said.
    Phil Helsel, NBC News, 28 Dec. 2024
Noun
  • This acquisition will improve the habitat for Wisconsin’s endangered American marten, which has been facing a dwindling habitat.
    Noël Fletcher, Forbes, 8 Dec. 2024
  • With their larger competitors out of the way, the smaller, less numerous martens had some breathing room.
    Siddhant Pusdekar, Journal Sentinel, 5 July 2024
Noun
  • Healing the ecosystem so the otters could come back had the win-win effect of helping manage an invasive species.
    Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
  • The department said that while encounters with otters are rare, the animals can be territorial.
    Brie Stimson, Fox News, 14 Sep. 2024
Noun
  • Homeostasis and Stability: Like beavers and wolves, leaders create balance by managing both innovation (growth) and stability (process).
    Scott Hutcheson, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
  • The short-faced bear went extinct around 11,000 years, at the end of the Pleistocene, along with most of the large mammals that lived alongside it, including all the large carnivores listed above, as well as giant ground sloths, mammoths, mastodons, giant beavers, camels, and giant armadillos.
    Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near badger

Cite this Entry

“Badger.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/badger. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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