brands

IPA/brænd/
KK[brˈændz]IPA/brænd/

brands — noun

  • brandssingular
  • brandsesplural

1. a product or range of products that a particular company makes and sells using a

1.nounB1
Definition

a product or range of products that a particular company makes and sells using a specific name, logo, or design to set them apart from similar goods made by other companies

Example

Hassan always buys the same brand of running shoes because they fit him well.

brand of + noun for product category

The supermarket carries several international brands alongside its own cheaper line.

Common collocations
  • brand of + product
  • leading brand
  • own-brand
  • brand name
  • brand loyalty
Synonyms
  • make

    more common for cars and machinery than for everyday consumer goods

  • label

    often refers to the company that produces the item, especially in fashion

Usage Note

Often paired with the preposition 'of' to specify the product category: brand of coffee / brand of phone.

2. the set of ideas, feelings, and opinions that people have about a company, organ

2.nounB2
Definition

the set of ideas, feelings, and opinions that people have about a company, organization, or product, including its reputation and the qualities they associate with it

Example

The company's brand was badly damaged after the factory accident was shown on television.

brand + passive verb (was damaged)

Megan worked hard to build a strong brand for her small vegan bakery.

build a strong brand

Common collocations
  • build a brand
  • damage the brand
  • brand image
  • brand identity
  • brand value
Synonyms
  • image

    focuses more on visual associations; narrower than brand

  • reputation

    broader; applies to people and institutions, not just products

Usage Note

Frequently used with verbs like build, damage, protect, strengthen — focuses on the reputation and public perception of a brand, which is distinct from sense 1's focus on the product name and physical goods themselves.

3. the public face or distinctive character that a person deliberately cultivates a

3.nounB2
Definition

the public face or distinctive character that a person deliberately cultivates and presents to others, especially in their professional or online life

Example

As a fitness coach, Dahlia manages her personal brand carefully on social media.

personal brand on social media

Kian's brand as a musician is built on mixing folk tunes with electronic sounds.

Common collocations
  • personal brand
  • build your brand
  • manage your brand
  • individual brand
Synonyms
  • persona

    more theatrical; suggests a role someone plays rather than their genuine self

Usage Note

Common in career and social-media contexts. Often modified by personal or individual. Distinguish from sense 2, which applies to companies rather than people.

4. a distinct style or approach typical of a particular person, group, or situation

4.nounB1
Definition

a distinct style or approach typical of a particular person, group, or situation

Example

Andrei has his own brand of humor that makes everyone in the office laugh.

own brand of + abstract noun

Ritu's brand of leadership is quite different from her predecessor's top-down style.

Common collocations
  • brand of humor
  • brand of politics
  • brand of leadership
  • own brand of
Synonyms
  • kind

    more general; lacks the implication of distinctiveness that brand carries

  • style

    focuses on manner or method rather than category membership

Usage Note

Almost always followed by 'of' + an abstract noun (humour, leadership, politics). This sense is less common than senses 1–2 and mostly appears in informal or journalistic writing.

5. a partly burned stick taken from a fire, used to carry light or start a new flam

5.nounC1
Definition

a partly burned stick taken from a fire, used to carry light or start a new flame

Example

The campers used a brand from the fire to light their way through the dark trees.

a brand from the fire

Sora picked up a charred brand from the ashes to draw on the cave wall.

Common collocations
  • burning brand
  • charred brand
Synonyms
  • firebrand

    the more common modern form for the same object

Usage Note

This is an older, less frequent meaning. Most modern speakers encounter it only in historical fiction or in the compound firebrand.

6. a permanent mark seared onto the hide of an animal, especially cattle, to show w

6.nounC1
Definition

a permanent mark seared onto the hide of an animal, especially cattle, to show which ranch or farm owns it

Example

Each cow on the Hernandez ranch has a brand on its back showing who owns it.

The rancher checked the brand on the calf to see if it belonged to his herd.

check the brand on + animal

Common collocations
  • cattle brand
  • ranch brand
  • brand on the skin

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 7: this is a literal physical mark on animals; sense 7 is a figurative mark of disgrace on a person.

7. a mark of shame or disgrace that is permanently attached to someone's reputation

7.nounC1
Definition

a mark of shame or disgrace that is permanently attached to someone's reputation because of something they have done or been accused of

Example

Eli tried hard to escape the brand of being called a liar, but the rumor had spread.

the brand of being + past participle

The brand of dishonor followed the disgraced politician for the rest of his career.

Common collocations
  • brand of dishonor
  • brand of shame
Synonyms
  • stigma

    more common in modern English; brand sounds old-fashioned for this sense

  • disgrace

    focuses on the loss of respect rather than a metaphorical mark

Usage Note

Often followed by 'of' + a noun phrase describing the disgrace. This sense is figurative and literary; in everyday speech, stigma or disgrace is more common.

brands — verb

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to ways of identifying products, but they differ in scope and usage. Brand is the broadest term: it covers the name, logo, design, and the reputation connected to a product or company (e.g., 'Apple is a brand people trust'). Make is more specific to manufactured goods and is common for cars, electronics, and machinery ('What make of car does she drive?'). Label is most often used in fashion and food industries, where it refers to the company that produces the item under a specific name ('She only wears designer labels'). Trademark is a legal term for a registered name or symbol that cannot be used by other companies ('The swoosh is Nike's trademark'). In everyday conversation, brand is the most versatile choice; make sounds slightly dated for consumer goods; label is narrower; trademark is formal and legal.

brand ↗make ↗label ↗trademark ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • brand of
  • own brand
  • brand new

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word brand comes from the Old English noun 'brand' meaning 'a burning piece of wood.' In the early days of farming, owners would mark their cattle by burning a symbol into their skin with a hot iron — this mark was called a brand. By the 1800s, the word had moved into commerce: manufacturers started using unique marks on their products (like barrels of whiskey or crates of goods) to show who had made them, and these marks became known as brands. The verb sense 'to condemn' grew out of the idea of marking someone with a permanent sign of shame, like a stain on their reputation.

First known use

12th century

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb