Jump To:

• bud
  bud
• Bud
  Bud

  noun

  a male given name.

bud

¹ American  

[buhd] / bʌd /

noun

1. Botany.

   1. a small axillary or terminal protuberance on a plant, containing rudimentary foliage leaf bud, the rudimentary inflorescence flower bud, or both mixed bud.

   2. an undeveloped or rudimentary stem or branch of a plant.

2. Zoology. (in certain animals of low organization) a prominence that develops into a new individual, sometimes permanently attached to the parent and sometimes becoming detached; gemmule.

3. Mycology. a small, rounded outgrowth produced from a fungus spore or cell by a process of asexual reproduction, eventually separating from the parent cell as a new individual: commonly produced by most yeast and a few other fungi.

4. Anatomy. any small rounded part.

5. an immature or undeveloped person or thing.

6. Slang. marijuana, especially potent marijuana from the buds, or flowering tops, of the hemp plant.

---

verb (used without object)

• buds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• budded,
  past participle,  past
• budding
  present participle

1. to put forth or produce buds.

2. to begin to develop.

3. to be in an early stage of development.

verb (used with object)

• buds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• budded,
  past participle,  past
• budding
  present participle

1. to cause to bud.

2. Horticulture. to graft by inserting a single bud into the stock.

idioms

1. in the bud, in an immature or undeveloped state: Also in bud.

   a Shakespeare in the bud.

2. nip in the bud, to stop (something) in the beginning of its development.

   The rebellion was nipped in the bud.

bud ² American  

[buhd] / bʌd /

noun

1. brother; buddy (used in informal address, as to one's brother or to a man or boy whose name is not known to the speaker).

---

Bud ³ American  

[buhd] / bʌd /

Or Budd

noun

1. a male given name.

---

bud ¹ British  

/ bʌd /

noun

1. informal short for buddy

---

bud ² British  

/ bʌd /

noun

1. a swelling on a plant stem consisting of overlapping immature leaves or petals

2. 1. a partially opened flower

   2. ( in combination )

      rosebud

3. any small budlike outgrowth

   taste buds

4. something small or immature

5. an asexually produced outgrowth in simple organisms, such as yeasts, and the hydra that develops into a new individual

6. a slang word for marijuana

7. at the stage of producing buds

8. to put an end to (an idea, movement, etc) in its initial stages

---

verb

1. (intr) (of plants and some animals) to produce buds

2. (intr) to begin to develop or grow

3. (tr) horticulture to graft (a bud) from one plant onto another, usually by insertion under the bark

bud Scientific  

/ bŭd /

1. A small swelling on a branch or stem, containing an undeveloped shoot, leaf, or flower. Some species have mixed buds containing two of these structures, or even all three.

2. ◆ Terminal buds occur at the end of a stem, twig, or branch.

3. ◆ Axillary buds, also known as lateral buds, occur in the axils of leaves (in the upper angle of where the leaf grows from the stem).

4. ◆ Accessory buds often occur clustered around terminal buds or above and on either side of axillary buds. Accessory buds are usually smaller than terminal and axillary buds.

5. A small rounded outgrowth on an asexually reproducing organism, such as a yeast or hydra, that is capable of developing into a new individual.

6. See more at budding

7. A tiny part or structure, such as a taste bud, that is shaped like a plant bud.

---

1. To form or produce a bud or buds.

bud More Idioms  

1. see nip in the bud.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• budder
  noun
• budless
  adjective
• budlike
  adjective
• nonbudding
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• budding
  present
• budded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bud
  simple
• buds
  simple
• have budded
  perfect
• has budded
  perfect
• am budding
  progressive
• are budding
  progressive
• is budding
  progressive
• have been budding
  perfect progressive
• has been budding
  perfect progressive

Past

• budded
  simple
• had budded
  perfect
• was budding
  progressive
• were budding
  progressive
• had been budding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bud
  simple
• will have budded
  perfect
• will be budding
  progressive
• will have been budding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bud¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English budde, bodde “bud, spray, pod”; further origin uncertain; perhaps from Middle Dutch botte “bud,” or Old French bout “tip, end”

Origin of bud²

An Americanism dating back to 1850–55; back formation from buddy

Explanation

The young part of a plant that's almost ready to flower or unfurl new leaves is called the bud. As a verb, bud also means to grow or develop. You will see the word bud most often in reference to plants, but it is also used metaphorically to refer to something that is still maturing: a "budding career," for instance, or a "budding romance." Scientists use bud to indicate a new formation of growth or something that splits apart to form a duplicate of itself, like a cell.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bud Bud buds budded budding

From there it opens up, like a flower bud warming to summer, with acoustic guitar strumming, a gentle rhythm section and a gospel choir echoing with otherworldly lightness.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

The conservatory posted that it might be a bud, meaning a flowering could come soon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Walsh suggested to Sir Jeffrey that he had gone because it was "something you needed to nip in the bud".

From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026

This is why a lot of Jews want to nip that rhetoric in the bud.

From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025

Clearly, the situation had to be nipped in the bud, for any change in the day’s schedule risked throwing off the careful precision of the plan Penelope and Simon had devised.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Earlier that day, however, witnesses testified that Powers had argued with a mutual acquaintance of Byrd and Roberts named Bud.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

Station owner Bud Paxson had a newscaster auction the inventory over the air and it sold out quickly, leading to a regular show called “Suncoast Bargaineers.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026

Earlier this year, Bud Light released a Post Malone-branded, limited-edition miniature can, pushing the idea that beer in smaller cans stays cold while you drink.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Firms including Bud Light beer and the Polymarket prediction market have their names emblazoned on the padding of the ring for the $60-million-dollar tournament.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

After breaking Bud that spring, Shawn had taken up horses in a serious way.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

When they hatch, the leaves they depend on are still sealed inside buds, leaving them with nothing to eat.

From Science Daily ● May 5, 2026

Some of the rose buds had also started to rot, but she's dried them out and made a resin artwork scattered with the salvageable petals.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026

They can help your gut, your blood pressure, your cholesterol—and your taste buds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

I’d say it depends on the dish — and leave the rest to your personal taste buds.

From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2026

Green buds could be seen on the vines that crawled up the walls, and tiny white-and-yellow flowers blossomed near the ceiling.

From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia

Researchers also observed the archaeon producing chains of budded vesicles along with elaborate tube-like structures.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026

“If your hemagglutinin is too sticky and your neuraminidase is too poor, you get stuck to the cell that you’ve just budded from,” Peacock says.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 5, 2024

There are also “nine or so grafts and budded plants” Chris Trimmer who runs the site explains.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2024

Evans said WA 64 was first budded in 2001 after being crossbred in 1998.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 25, 2023

Everything was richly green: the color of newly budded leaves, of luminescent moss, of every possible shade of pine needle.

From "Huntress" by Malinda Lo

It was the start of the second quarter on Friday night, when USC quarterback Jayden Maiava spotted his budding star freshman soaring on a slot post through the wide-open center of the field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

Despite his 5-foot-10 frame, his elite athleticism for the quarterback position made him look like a budding star.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

Leading a small team has long been seen as an important steppingstone to management, a way for companies to give budding leaders a taste of it without overwhelming them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

The 19-year-old, sporting a budding beard, usually operates from home, filling lulls by watching the TV show Criminal Minds or honing his drone-flying skills on a simulator.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

No longer was he the budding craftsman who in spite of a menial position in the goldhouse could teach apprentices their tasks.

From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw