label
Americannoun
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a slip of paper, cloth, or other material, marked or inscribed, for attachment to something to indicate its manufacturer, nature, ownership, destination, etc..
The medicine bottle should have a label on it with the dosing instructions.
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a short word or phrase descriptive of a person, group, intellectual movement, etc..
The label “progressive” can be used to describe many different political movements.
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a word or phrase indicating that what follows belongs in a particular category or classification.
The label “Formal” marks words used in academic or business contexts.
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Architecture. a molding or dripstone over a door or window, especially one that extends horizontally across the top of the opening and vertically downward for a certain distance at the sides.
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a brand or trademark under which something, such as clothing or music, is manufactured and sold.
She records under her own label.
Chanel has launched a new label for ready-to-wear couture.
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the manufacturer using such a label.
All the big-name labels will have a runway show during Fashion Week.
Major labels are feeling the economic crunch and are no longer signing small acts or individual musicians.
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Heraldry. a narrow horizontal strip with a number of downward extensions of rectangular or dovetail form, usually placed in chief as the cadency mark of an eldest son.
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Obsolete. a strip or narrow piece of anything.
verb (used with object)
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to affix a label to; mark with a label.
The drawers have all been labeled with their contents.
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to designate or describe by or on a label.
The bottle was labeled poison.
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to put in a certain class; classify.
It's easy to label someone as difficult and stop trying, but curiosity and compassion can often get you further.
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Chemistry. Also to incorporate a radioactive or heavy isotope into (a molecule) in order to make traceable.
noun
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a piece of paper, card, or other material attached to an object to identify it or give instructions or details concerning its ownership, use, nature, destination, etc; tag
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a brief descriptive phrase or term given to a person, group, school of thought, etc
the label "Romantic" is applied to many different kinds of poetry
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a word or phrase heading a piece of text to indicate or summarize its contents
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a trademark or company or brand name on certain goods, esp, formerly, on gramophone records
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another name for dripstone
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heraldry a charge consisting of a horizontal line across the chief of a shield with three or more pendants: the charge of an eldest son
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computing a group of characters, such as a number or a word, appended to a particular statement in a program to allow its unique identification
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chem a radioactive element used in a compound to trace the mechanism of a chemical reaction
verb
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to fasten a label to
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to mark with a label
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to describe or classify in a word or phrase
to label someone a liar
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to make (one or more atoms in a compound) radioactive, for use in determining the mechanism of a reaction
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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prelabelnoun
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labelernoun
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nonlabelingadjective
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nonlabellingadjective
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unlabelledadjective
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relabelverb (used with object)
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labellernoun
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unlabeledadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has labeledperfect 3rd person singular
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have labelledperfect
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have labeledperfect
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has labelledperfect 3rd person singular
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am labellingprogressive 1st person singular
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are labellingprogressive
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is labelingprogressive 3rd person singular
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has been labellingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am labelingprogressive 1st person singular
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are labelingprogressive
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is labellingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been labelingperfect progressive
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has been labelingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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have been labellingperfect progressive
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labelingparticiple
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labellingparticiple
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labelssingular 3rd person
Past
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had labeledperfect
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had labelledperfect
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were labelingprogressive plural
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had been labelingperfect progressive
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had been labellingperfect progressive
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was labelingprogressive singular
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was labellingprogressive singular
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were labellingprogressive plural
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labelledparticiple
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labeledparticiple
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labelledsimple
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labeledsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of label
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Middle French: “ribbon,” perhaps from Germanic; cf. lap 1
Explanation
The saying “labels are for jars not people” means it’s OK to put a description on a jar so you know what’s inside (a label), but it’s not okay to judge people by attaching a label, or description to them, such as "nerd," "jock," or "burnout." Label is a busy word. It refers to the paper or identifying marks on a jar that tells you something about what’s inside the jar. Put such an identifier on the jar, and you label it. Related to that is a judgment about someone or something, a label. When you call yourself a superstar, you label yourself. Finally, you can use label as a short form of recording label, a company that produces musical recordings.
Vocabulary lists containing label
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 1
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Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While all other followers of Jesus, from Quakers to Catholics, were officially designated as variations of “Christian,” Mormons did not enjoy the Christian label.
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
The best supplement is the one that answers a real need, not the one with the loudest promise on the label.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026
Katseye, who share a label with Le Sserafim, say the senior band helped when they encountered their own internet trolls.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
Grainge’s son Elliot ascended through the record industry with his 10k Projects label, and now heads UMG’s competitor Atlantic Records.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Leo pulls up beside us, and I slide a candle out of my waistband so he can see the label.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
