From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbadgebadge /bædʒ/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 PPGSSO British English a small piece of metal, cloth, or plastic with a picture or words on it, worn to show rank, membership of a group, support for a political idea etc SYN button, pin American English We were each handed a badge with our name on it.2 PGOa small piece of metal or plastic that you carry to show people that you work for a particular organization, for example that you are a police officer3 → a badge of honour/courage etc4 SSO (also merit badge American English) a small piece of cloth with a picture on it, given to scouts, guides etc to show what skills they have learned Steve won a photography badge in the Boy Scouts.5 → badge of office6 an icon that provides a link to another web page, for example to your page on a social networking site How do I add a badge to my blog?
Examples from the Corpus
badge• a badge for photography• And all Pirates receive a free Club T-shirt and badge.• Can teachers wear political buttons, badges, or armbands to class?• Mulder showed his badge and asked a few questions.• To get into the center, users will be required to buy a one-year, $ 15 photo-identification badge.• There were now no badges of rank to be seen.• She wore a black coat and had a Soviet Railway badge pinned to her black hat.• You'll get a security badge that will allow you into the building.• The badge confers, if not the touch of aristocracy it used to bring, at least a sense of class.• The badge of the Airborne Division had been enlarged in colour and framed as a centrepiece.• We coveted those badges, and I never realized how much until that night in Casualty.Origin badge (1300-1400) Old French bage 