A design token is a named value that a site reuses for choices such as color, spacing, or text size. It is like a labeled paint sample shared by every room so the same blue can be used consistently.
Instead of choosing a new shade for each button, a team can use one named color value throughout the site. Updating that value can keep the change consistent.
Tokens help people maintain a design, but their names should explain what they are for. A name like “main-action-color” is often more useful than one that only describes a shade.