/ ˈleɪbl; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
1.
a piece of paper, etc. that is attached to sth and that gives information about it
SYN tag , ticket :
The washing instructions are on the label.
price / address labels
We tested various supermarkets' own label pasta sauces (= those marked with the name of the shop / store where they are sold) .
He'll only wear clothes with a designer label .
—picture at packaging
2.
( disapproving ) a word or phrase that is used to describe sb/sth in a way that seems too general, unfair or not correct :
I hated the label 'housewife'.
3.
a company that produces and sells records, CDs, etc. :
the Virgin record label
It's his first release for a major label.
■ verb ( -ll- , NAmE -l- ) [ often passive ]
1.
[ vn ] to fix a label on sth or write information on sth :
We carefully labelled each item with the contents and the date.
The file was labelled 'Private'.
2.
label sb/sth (as) sth to describe sb/sth in a particular way, especially unfairly :
[ vn - n ]
He was labelled (as) a traitor by his former colleagues.
[ vn - adj ]
It is unfair to label a small baby as naughty.
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SYNONYMS
label
tag ♦ sticker
These are all words for a piece of paper, fabric or plastic that is attached to sth and gives information about it.
label
a small piece of paper, fabric or plastic that is attached to sth in order to show what it is or give information about it:
The washing instructions are on the label.
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address labels
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He'll only wear clothes with a designer label .
tag
(often used in compounds) a small piece of paper, fabric or plastic that is attached to sth, or that sb wears, in order to give information about it / them:
Everyone at the conference had to wear a name tag.
label or tag?
Labels in clothes are usually made of fabric and sewn in. Tags on clothes are usually made of cardboard and cut off before you wear the clothes. A name tag can be stuck or tied onto sb to show who they are:
All babies in the hospital have name tags tied round their ankles.
Price tag is much more frequent than price label and is used for both literal and figurative meanings:
What does the price tag say?
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There is a £20 million price tag on the team's star player.
A label can also be a sticker that you put on an envelope.
sticker
a sticky label with a picture or message on it, that you stick on to sth.
PATTERNS AND COLLOCATIONS :
a price label / tag / sticker
a name tag
to bear / have a label / tag / sticker
to attach / put on / stick on a label / tag / sticker
The label / tag / sticker says...
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (denoting a narrow strip): from Old French , ribbon .