Label vs. Tag — What's the Difference?

A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed directly on a container or article can also be considered labelling.

A strip of leather, paper, metal, or plastic attached to something or hung from a wearer's neck to identify, classify, or label

An item used to identify something or someone, as a small piece of paper or cloth attached to an article to designate its origin, owner, contents, use, or destination.

The plastic or metal tip at the end of a shoelace.

A descriptive term; an epithet.

The contrastingly colored tip of an animal's tail.

A distinctive name or trademark identifying a product or manufacturer, especially a recording company.

A dirty, matted lock of wool.

(Architecture) A molding over a door or window; a dripstone.

A loose lock of hair.

(Heraldry) A figure in a field consisting of a narrow horizontal bar with several pendants.

A rag; a tatter.

(Chemistry) See tracer.

A small, loose fragment

To attach a label to

An ornamental flourish, especially at the end of a signature.

To identify or designate with a descriptive term; describe or classify

A designation or epithet, especially an unwelcome one

(Chemistry) To add a tracer to (a compound).

A brief quotation used in a discourse to give it an air of erudition or authority

A small ticket or sign giving information about something to which it is attached or intended to be attached.

A cliché, saw, or similar short, conventional idea used to embellish a discourse

A name given to something or someone to categorise them as part of a particular social group.

The refrain or last lines of a song or poem.

(music) A company that sells records.

The closing lines of a speech in a play; a cue.

(computing) A user-defined alias for a numerical designation, the reverse of an enumeration.

A label assigned to identify data in memory.

(computing) A named place in source code that can be jumped to using a GOTO or equivalent construct.

A sequence of characters in a markup language used to provide information, such as formatting specifications, about a document.

(heraldry) A charge resembling the strap crossing the horse’s chest from which pendants are hung.

A metatag.

(obsolete) A tassel.

(Anatomy) A small outgrowth or polyp

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.

(Slang) A piece of graffiti featuring text, especially the author's name, rather than a picture

A piece of writing added to something, such as a codicil appended to a will.

(Games) A children's game in which one player pursues the others until that player is able to touch one of the other players, who then in turn becomes the pursuer.

(historical) A brass rule with sights, formerly used with a circumferentor to take altitudes.

(Baseball) The act of tagging a base runner.

(architecture) The projecting moulding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediaeval architecture.

(Sports) The act of tagging a ball carrier in touch football.

In mediaeval and later art, a representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.

To label, identify, or recognize with a tag or other identifier

(graphical user interface) A non-interactive control or widget displaying text, often used to describe the purpose of another control.

To put a ticket on (a motor vehicle) for a traffic or parking violation.

(transitive) To put a label (a ticket or sign) on (something).

To add as an appendage to

(ditransitive) To give a label to (someone or something) in order to categorise that person or thing.

To follow closely

(biochemistry) 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.

To cut the tags from (sheep).

(biochemistry) 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

To add a taggant to

A tassel.

To incorporate into (a compound) a more readily detected substance whereby the compound can be detected and its metabolic or chemical history followed.

A slip of silk, paper, parchment, etc., affixed to anything, and indicating, usually by an inscription, the contents, ownership, destination, etc.; as, the label of a bottle or a package.

(Slang) To mark or vandalize (a surface) with a graffiti tag

A slip of ribbon, parchment, etc., attached to a document to hold the appended seal; also, the seal.

To follow after; accompany

A writing annexed by way of addition, as a codicil added to a will.

To touch (another player) in the game of tag.

A barrulet, or, rarely, a bendlet, with pendants, or points, usually three, especially used as a mark of cadency to distinguish an eldest or only son while his father is still living.

(Baseball) To touch (a base runner) with the ball in order to make a putout.

A brass rule with sights, formerly used, in connection with a circumferentor, to take altitudes.

(Sports) To touch (a ball carrier) to end a play in touch football.

The name now generally given to the projecting molding by the sides, and over the tops, of openings in mediæval architecture. It always has a square form, as in the illustration.

A small label.

In mediæval art, the representation of a band or scroll containing an inscription.

A children's chasing game in which one player (known as "it") attempts to touch another, who then becomes "it".

To affix a label to; to mark with a name, etc.; as, to label a bottle or a package.

A skin tag, an excrescence of skin.

To affix in or on a label.

A type of cardboard.

A brief description given for purposes of identification;

Graffiti in the form of a stylized signature particular to the artist.

Trade name of a company that produces musical recordings;

A dangling lock of sheep's wool, matted with dung; a dung tag.

A radioactive isotope that is used in a compound in order to trace the mechanism of a chemical reaction

An attribution in narrated dialogue (eg, "he said") or attributed words (e.g. "he thought").

An identifying or descriptive marker that is attached to an object

(music) The last line (or last two lines) of a song's chorus that is repeated to indicate the end of the song.

Assign a label to; designate with a label;

(television) The last scene of a TV program, often focusing on the program's subplot.

Attach a tag or label to;

A vehicle number plate; a medal bearing identification data (animals, soldiers).

Pronounce judgment on;

(baseball) An instance of touching the baserunner with the ball or the ball in a gloved hand to rule him "out."

Distinguish (as a compound or molecule) by introducing a labeled atom

(computing) A piece of markup representing an element in a markup language.

Distinguish (an element or atom) by using a radioactive isotope or an isotope of unusual mass for tracing through chemical reactions

(computing) A keyword, term, or phrase associated with or assigned to data, media, and/or information enabling keyword-based classification; often used to categorize content.

Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress; something slight hanging loosely.

A metallic binding, tube, or point, at the end of a string, or lace, to stiffen it.

The end, or catchword, of an actor's speech; cue.

Something mean and paltry; the rabble.

A sheep in its first year.

(biochemistry) Any short peptide sequence artificially attached to proteins mostly in order to help purify, solubilize or visualize these proteins.

(slang) A person's name.

A decoration drawn over some Hebrew letters in Jewish scrolls.

(transitive) To label (something).

To mark (something) with one’s tag.

(transitive) To remove dung tags from a sheep.

To have sex with someone (especially a man of a woman)

To put a runner out by touching them with the ball or the ball in a gloved hand.

To mark with a tag (metadata for classification).

To follow closely, accompany, tag along.

(transitive) To catch and touch (a player in the game of tag).

(transitive) To fit with, or as if with, a tag or tags.

To fasten; to attach.

Any slight appendage, as to an article of dress; something slight hanging loosely; specifically, a direction card, or label.

A metallic binding, tube, or point, at the end of a string, or lace, to stiffen it.

The end, or catchword, of an actor's speech; cue.

Something mean and paltry; the rabble.

A sheep of the first year.

A child's play in which one runs after and touches another, and then runs away to avoid being touched.

To fit with, or as with, a tag or tags.

To join; to fasten; to attach.

To follow closely after; esp., to follow and touch in the game of tag. See Tag, a play.

To follow closely, as it were an appendage; - often with after; as, to tag after a person.

A label made of cardboard or plastic or metal

A small piece of cloth or paper

A game in which one child chases the others; the one who is caught becomes the next chaser

(sports) the act of touching a player in a game (which changes their status in the game)

Attach a tag or label to;

Touch a player while he is holding the ball

Provide with a name or nickname

Go after with the intent to catch;

Supply (blank verse or prose) with rhymes