dude

[ dood, dyood ]
See synonyms for dude on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a man excessively concerned with his clothes, grooming, and manners.

  2. Slang

    • a fellow; chap.

    • (a general term of address used to a man, woman, or group).

  1. a person reared in a large city.

  2. Western U.S. an urban Easterner who vacations on a ranch.

interjection
  1. Slang (an expression of shock, approval, sympathy, or other strong feeling): Dude! That's one expensive sandwich!

Verb Phrasespast and past participle dud·ed up,present participle dud·ing up.
  1. dude up, Slang. to dress in one's fanciest, best, or most stylish clothes; dress up: He got all duded up to go to the dance.

Origin of dude

1
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; origin uncertain

Words Nearby dude

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dude in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dude

dude

/ (duːd, djuːd) /


nouninformal
  1. Western US and Canadian a city dweller, esp one holidaying on a ranch

  2. mainly US and Canadian a dandy

  1. US and Canadian a person: often used to any male in direct address

Origin of dude

1
C19: of unknown origin

Derived forms of dude

  • dudish, adjective
  • dudishly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012