badger C2+ Topic:Animals US /ˈbædʒɚ/ UK /ˈbædʒə/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun a burrowing nocturnal mammal; to pester or harass persistently Reporters continued to badger him for a statement. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · a burrowing nocturnal... pesterharassnaghoundplaguetorment ↔ Opposites leave alone Etymology AI details Of uncertain origin; the animal name is perhaps from badge, in reference to the white blaze on its forehead. The verb sense derives from the old sport of badger-baiting. Topics Animals Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # badger **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈbædʒɚ/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈbædʒə/ ## Meanings 1. a burrowing nocturnal mammal; to pester or harass persistently ## Examples - Reporters continued to badger him for a statement. ## Synonyms - pester - harass - nag - hound - plague - torment ## Antonyms - leave alone ## Etymology Of uncertain origin; the animal name is perhaps from badge, in reference to the white blaze on its forehead. The verb sense derives from the old sport of badger-baiting. ## AI Etymology Badger is of uncertain origin; the animal name is perhaps from badge, in reference to the white blaze on its forehead. The verb sense derives from the old sport of badger-baiting. Its deeper history remains uncertain, with proposed links left as possibilities rather than a single settled derivation. The current sense covers a burrowing nocturnal mammal; to pester or harass persistently. ## Topics - Animals - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown