bae
noun
an affectionate term used to address or refer to one’s girlfriend, boyfriend, spouse, etc..
bae
1 American
[bey]
/ 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:
“You wanna leave, gal, then I won’t hold you/Don’t say you need me, bae, ’cause I done told you/You keep walking around, you acting like I owe you, but I don’t owe you, girl.”
From New York Times ● Jan. 11, 2022
Chris Pine’s eternal bae status confirmed by his mask compliance and support of independent bookstores.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 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
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
"And which of 'em will it bae, Mrs. Gaale, think you?"
From The Three Sisters by May Sinclair
The shipyard recently completed sub-contracting work for BAE Systems for new Type 26 frigates and currently has no confirmed future orders.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 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
Ukraine has reached an agreement to domestically manufacture the L119 lightweight howitzer designed by U.K. defense company BAE Systems.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 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
When these rich and sappy hours were over, the baes said to them: “You have eaten well and drunk well, I want seven florins.”
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
He's a Lambe indeed, that baes like a Beare Men.
From Coriolanus by William Shakespeare
The dikzak who played the rommel-pot went to the baes and said to him, speaking of Ulenspiegel: “That is the landgrave’s painter; he will pay for all.”
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
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.
