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Brand: Definition, Usage & Common Examples (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：product brand (brand)

brand 🔊

/brænd/

n./vt.

A type of product made by a particular company, with its own name and image. It helps you know who made it and what to expect.

product brand 🔊

➕

/ˈprɒdʌkt brænd/

n./vt.

A distinctive name, symbol, or design used by a company to identify its products and differentiate them from competitors.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Old English 'brand' meaning 'fire, flame, sword', related to burning.

💡 Mnemonic

Brand sounds like 'burned' – think of a hot iron burning a mark onto something.

📖 Example

She is very loyal to that coffee brand and won't try any others. 🔊 She demonstrates strong allegiance to that specific coffee brand and avoids trying other options.

🔗 Collocations

brand loyalty – the tendency of consumers to continue buying the same brand

brand image – the impression of a brand in the minds of consumers

brand awareness – the extent to which consumers are familiar with a brand

🔄 Synonyms

trademark (n.) – a legally registered symbol representing a company or product

logo (n.) – a graphic symbol used to identify a brand

label (n.) – a piece of material attached to a product with information

🚫 Antonyms

generic (adj.) – not branded or specific to a particular company

unbranded (adj.) – lacking a brand name or trademark

🌱 Derivatives

branding (n.) – the process of creating a distinctive identity for a product

branded (adj.) – bearing the name or logo of a particular brand

📖 Cultural Story

Evolved from Old English for 'burning' to marking livestock with hot irons, now a key concept in marketing for product identity.

Meaning 2：to label negatively (brand)

brand 🔊

/brænd/

n./vt.

To mark with a hot iron, or to describe someone/something as having a particular (often bad) quality.

to label negatively 🔊

➕

/tə ˈleɪbl ˈnɛɡətɪvli/

n./vt.

To describe or mark someone or something as having a particular, often undesirable, quality or characteristic.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

After the mistake, his colleagues unfairly branded him as unreliable. 🔊 Following the error, his coworkers unjustly labeled him as untrustworthy.

🔗 Collocations

brand as a traitor – to publicly label someone as a betrayer

brand with shame – to mark someone with disgrace

brand someone unfairly – to label someone without just cause

🔄 Synonyms

stigmatize (vt.) – to describe or regard as worthy of disgrace

label (vt.) – to assign a category or description to someone

mark (vt.) – to identify or characterize in a specific way

🚫 Antonyms

praise (vt.) – to express approval or admiration for someone

commend (vt.) – to praise formally or officially

🌱 Derivatives

branding (n.) – the act of marking or labeling, especially negatively

branded (adj.) – having been marked or labeled, often pejoratively