bae
noun
an affectionate term used to address or refer to one’s girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, etc..
bae
1 American
[bay]
/ beɪ /
noun
-
baes
plural
adjective
baeer,
baeest
-
greatly admired or loved.
-
very cool; great.
His accent is so totally bae!
BAE
2
American
-
Bureau of Agricultural Economics.
-
Bureau of American Ethnology.
B.A.E.
3
American
abbreviation
-
Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering.
-
Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering.
-
Bachelor of Architectural Engineering.
-
Bachelor of Art Education.
-
Bachelor of Arts in Education.
Sensitive Note
Like similar uses of babe and baby, the word bae may sometimes be disparaging or offensive when used to refer to someone considered attractive or when used to address a stranger or casual acquaintance.
Usage
What does bae mean? Bae is a slang term for one’s significant other or an object of affection, often used to address them, e.g., I love you, bae!
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bae
An Americanism first recorded in 2000–05; probably a shortening of babe or baby
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He’s Welsh, he’s Russian, he’s American … he’s bae.
From Slate ● Sep. 10, 2020
Don’t blame Williams’ bae too harshly for wanting Harington’s Jon to get the honor, since that’s what George R.R.
From Salon ● May 2, 2019
And, of course, there was salt bae, a Turkish chef by the name of Nusret Gokce, who tickled women and men alike with his flamboyant sprinkling of salt onto a carved steak.
From New York Times ● Dec. 30, 2017
Photo c shows Velella bae, which resembles a flying saucer with a blue bottom and a clear, dome-shaped top.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2015
"Yo'd bae freetened o' mae, Maaggie?" he asked.
From The Three Sisters by May Sinclair
HMS Agamemnon departed its construction home at BAE systems in Barrow last week and went through its first dive at sea in the Navy's Inner Hebrides exercise areas en-route.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
In the first half, BAE Systems’ sales climbed 9% on year to 15.77 billion pounds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
BAE Systems unveiled Britain's first sovereign CCA at Farnborough, though London has yet to commit to a procurement decision, leaving the field open to competitors.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
BAE Systems unveiled a life-size model of an unmanned fighter jet in front of the new Defence Secretary Wes Streeting at the Farnborough International Air Show.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
To BAE, v. n. to bleat like sheep.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Alexander Leighton
Escobar stole second baes in the fifth inning for his first steal in the majors since Sept. 3, 2018 while with the Royals.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 28, 2021
The baes, seized with fear, cut open Ulenspiegel’s hat with a knife.
From The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Volume I (of 2) And Lamme Goedzak, and their Adventures Heroical, Joyous and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere by Charles Th?odore Henri de Coster
Why then, depart in peace, and let the child wake her with crying: for the ewe that will not hear her lamb when it baes will never answer a calf when he bleats.
From Much Ado about Nothing by William Shakespeare
“Dear lad,” said the baes, “I did not say that; go and put the bellows back in its place.”
From The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Volume I (of 2) And Lamme Goedzak, and their Adventures Heroical, Joyous and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere by Charles Th?odore Henri de Coster
The baes sputtered more and more, but dared not budge.
From The Legend of Ulenspiegel, Volume I (of 2) And Lamme Goedzak, and their Adventures Heroical, Joyous and Glorious in the Land of Flanders and Elsewhere by Charles Th?odore Henri de Coster
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
