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badger Definition

badger (baj′ər)

noun pl. -·ers or -·er

  1. any of certain mammals of a family (Mustelidae) of burrowing carnivores (esp. genera Taxidea and Meles) of North America, Europe, and Asia, with a broad back, thick, short legs, and long claws on the forefeet
  2. the fur of a badger
  3. Austral.
    1. wombat
    2. bandicoot
  4. ☆ Informal a person born or living in Wisconsin, called the Badger State

Etymology: 16th-c. term for earlier brock < bageard < ? ME bage, badge + -ard, -ard, in allusion to white spot on face

transitive verb

to torment as if baiting a badger; nag

badger Synonyms

badger

v.

harass, annoy, pester; see bait 2, bother 2. See syn. study at bait.

badger Usage Examples

Object

sett: Q12 A ban would prevent further damage to badger setts etc. Q 13 The actual act of hunting is non-selective of the quarry species.

Converse of object

  • cull: DEFRA is culling badgers to deal with TB in cattle.
  • snare: The cage, laced with peanuts, was intended to snare any badger tempted by the easy meal.
  • kill: MAFF will not be killing badgers in the ' closed season ' from 1 February to 30 April.
  • exterminate: That study claims to have achieved huge reductions in bovine TB by exterminating badgers.
  • disturb: How do I go about getting a license to disturb a badger set?

Adjective modifier

  • Eurasian: One of these ( genus Meles ) includes the Eurasian badger which is found in Britain.
  • tb-infected: It also shows that TB-infected badgers are not found in areas where there are few or no cattle.
  • infected: This task should be done working inwards from the outer ring to reduce the risk of infected badgers moving outwards to a clean area.
  • injured: We treat injured badgers, where appropriate in our holding pens.
  • diseased: The culling of diseased badgers was never going to be popular.

Modifies a noun

  • sett: There is an active badger sett in the corner nearest the station.
  • cull: This year the government badger cull starts in May.
  • cub: Badgers Two young badger cubs, courtesy of Gerald James.
  • baiters: It seems that badger baiters are back in Welford.
  • digging: Group member Pat Hartley said badger digging still occurs.
  • tong: The absence of specialized equipment, such as badger tongs, or delving rods for tracing tunnels.

Possessives

sett: Badgers ' sett is defined at Section 14 as any structure or place indicating current use by a badger.

Present participle complement

cull: Furthermore, badger culling must be carried out humanely.