What does "label" mean?
A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
Label
/[ˈleː.b(ə)ɫ]/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
- Grammar: label is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: academic category, academic historical term, academic theoretical descriptor, achievement.
- Useful contrasts: unclassified, unlabeled, unlabelled.
- Usage evidence: Attach this label to your package.
How to use "label"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "label" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "label" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "label" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "label" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "label" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "academic category" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "label", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.
"We laughed at her because the label was still on her new sweater."
- 2 trade name of a company that produces musical recordings wordnet
- 3 A name given to something or someone to categorise them as part of a particular social group.
"Ever since he started going to the rock club, he's been given the label "waster"."
- 4 a brief description given for purposes of identification wordnet
- 5 A company that sells records.
"The label signed the band after hearing a demo tape."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 an identifying or descriptive marker that is attached to an object wordnet
- 7 A user-defined alias for a numerical designation, the reverse of an enumeration.
"Storage devices can be given by label or ID."
- 8 a radioactive isotope that is used in a compound in order to trace the mechanism of a chemical reaction wordnet
- 9 A named place in source code that can be jumped to using a GOTO or equivalent construct.
- 10 A charge resembling the strap crossing the horse’s chest from which pendants are hung.
- 11 A tassel. obsolete
"the arms or escutcheon of France , hanging by a label on an oak"
- 12 A small strip, especially of paper or parchment (or of some material attached to parchment to carry the seal), but also of iron, brass, land, etc.
"Ere this hand, by thee to Romeo seal'd, / Shall be the label to another deed."
- 13 A piece of writing added to something, such as a codicil appended to a will.
- 14 A brass rule with sights, formerly used with a circumferentor to take altitudes. historical
- 15 The projecting moulding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediaeval architecture.
"Sculptured ends of labels are called label-stops."
- 16 In mediaeval and later art, a representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.
"2654. Two-handled globular vase; early Deruta lustred ware; centre surrounded by a band of scroll work; on each side the neck is an oval compartment with clasped hands, and a label scroll inscribed "Co pura fe.;" decoration, blue outline on white ground filled in with yellow lustre."
- 17 A non-interactive control or widget displaying text, often used to describe the purpose of another control.
Verb
- 1 To put a label (a ticket or sign) on (something). transitive
"The shop assistant labeled all the products in the shop."
- 2 distinguish (an element or atom) by using a radioactive isotope or an isotope of unusual mass for tracing through chemical reactions wordnet
- 3 To give a label to (someone or something) in order to categorise that person or thing. ditransitive
"He's been unfairly labeled as a cheat, although he's only ever cheated once."
- 4 distinguish (as a compound or molecule) by introducing a labeled atom wordnet
- 5 To replace specific atoms by their isotope in order to track the presence or movement of this isotope through a reaction, metabolic pathway or cell.
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 pronounce judgment on wordnet
- 7 To add a detectable substance, either transiently or permanently, to a biological substance in order to track the presence of the label-substance combination either in situ or in vitro
"They may be used to label and image a protein within tissue, to isolate cells on the basis of marker expression, or to physically capture a protein from a complex biological mixture...."
- 8 assign a label to; designate with a label wordnet
- 9 attach a tag or label to wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 a language spoken in Papua New Guinea
Synonyms
All synonyms academic categoryacademic historical termacademic theoretical descriptorachievementactivity tagadditional number
Example
"Attach this label to your package."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "label"?
Common synonyms include: academic category, academic historical term, academic theoretical descriptor, achievement, activity tag, additional number.
How do you use "label" in a sentence?
Attach this label to your package.
How do you pronounce "label"?
Pronounced /[ˈleː.b(ə)ɫ]/.
Etymology
From Middle English label (“narrow band, strip of cloth”), from Old French label, lambel (Modern French lambeau), from Frankish *lappā (“torn piece of cloth”), from Proto-Germanic *lappǭ, *lappô (“cloth stuff, rag, scraps, flap, dewlap, lobe, rabbit ear”), from Proto-Indo-European *leb- (“blade”). Cognate with Old High German lappa (“rag, piece of cloth”), Old English læppa (“skirt, flap of a garment”). More at lap.