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

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

So the money bouquet culture is unlikely to be nipped in the bud any time soon.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

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

From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025

Years later, when it appeared their feud might be heating up again, the two NBA greats took to social media to nip that notion in the bud.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2025

See, normal hearing aids usually have a part that wraps around the outer ear to hold the inner bud in place.

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio

He starred in Under Armour ads and a Super Bowl campaign for Bud Light.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026

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

He made his initial recordings in 1949 — first with singer Babs Gonzalez, then with pianist Bud Powell and trombonist Johnson.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026

He went on to play with many leading jazz artists including Art Blakey, Bud Powell and Miles Davis.

From BBC ● May 26, 2026

When I called Shawn and asked who he’d sold Bud to, he mumbled something vague about a guy passing through from Tooele.

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

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

From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2026

Liv and Alina Valdez, dressed up as fan favourite buds Steve Harrington and Dustin Henderson, and said they couldn't have been more pleased with how it all ended.

From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2026

While most plants only had one flower with many buds yet to open up, some were in full bloom with the sweet fragrant scent only the lily can provide.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 30, 2025

But after winter break was over, they were best buds again.

From "Auggie & Me" by R. J. Palacio

“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

This year, skip budded or blooming plants; give the gardener on your list a chubby bulb, and let them cultivate those impressive stalks crowned with showy trumpet blossoms.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2023

It had a Michigan secret receiver who budded to star.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 30, 2021

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

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

The budding astronaut has received tips on realising his dream from hero Tim Peake - and has even started learning Russian.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

“While we are encouraged by the company’s improved execution and budding operating leverage, we think the true value of the company is still very much in flux,” he said in his report.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

When word of the budding supply relationship was made public, Apple faced blowback.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Yeah, sure, they were budding Walt Whitmans, the two of them.

From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz