bun
noun
any of a wide variety of variously shaped bread rolls, usually leavened and slightly sweetened or plain, sometimes containing spices, dried currants, etc.
bun
1 American
[buhn]
/ bʌn /
noun
-
buns
plural
-
any of a wide variety of variously shaped bread rolls, usually leavened and slightly sweetened or plain, sometimes containing spices, dried currants, etc.
-
hair gathered into a round coil or knot at the nape of the neck or on top of the head in certain coiffures.
-
Slang. buns, the buttocks.
bun
2
American
[buhn]
/ bʌn /
idioms
BUN
3
American
abbreviation
bun
British
/ bʌn /
noun
-
a small roll, similar to bread but usually containing sweetening, currants, spices, etc
-
any of various types of small round sweet cakes
-
a hairstyle in which long hair is gathered into a bun shape at the back of the head
-
slang to be pregnant
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of bun1
1325–75; Middle English bunne, possibly of Romance origin; see also buñuelo ( def. )
Origin of bun2
First recorded in 1900–05; of uncertain origin
Origin of BUN3
First recorded in 1915–20
Explanation
A bun is a small roll, usually made of wheat flour and baked in an oven. You might bake a batch of buns for a breakfast treat on Sunday mornings. Some people celebrate spring or the Easter holidays by making hot cross buns, sweet rolls with currants or raisins and light frosting. Because buns are commonly small and round, the hairstyle that involves a tight coil of hair on the top or back of the head is also called a bun. The origin is probably the French buignete, "a fritter," which had the unpleasant original meaning of "a boil" or "a skin swelling."
Vocabulary lists containing bun
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:
Grab a pineapple bun stuffed with ham and butter, a corned beef egg tart, a sourdough one, even pistachio.
From Salon ● Aug. 9, 2026
Price for a caviar hot dog known as the Golden Glizzy, which features crème fraîche, mascarpone, 30 grams of Ossetra caviar and 24-karat edible gold flakes served on a fresh-baked croissant bun.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
On Air Force Two, he snacks on grass-fed beef jerky, or eats a hamburger with cheese, no bun, and a side of fermented vegetables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
The Dancing Girl sculpture, which was discovered at Mohenjo-daro - one of the largest settlements of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation - depicts a girl adorned with ornaments with her hair tied in a bun.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
Her perfectly styled bun was never out of place.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Urea concentration in the blood, called blood urea nitrogen or BUN, is used as an indicator of kidney function.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
BUN, BUNN, s. a cake commonly used at New-Year time, composed of flour, dried fruits, and spices.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Alexander Leighton
BUN, a small cake, usually sweet and round.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 4 "Bulgaria" to "Calgary" by Various
Waitrose has seen searches for milk buns – a related product with a similar enriched texture – jump 2,000% year-on-year, according to its press office.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
These are foam or gel-filled toys of various brands shaped like bao buns, and sometimes sold in plastic replicas of bamboo steamer baskets.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
The retailer pointed to a promotion where it is offering burgers, hot dogs, buns and all the other essentials for a cookout that feeds eight people for under $5 a person.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
There, Xi hosted Trump and his delegation at the Great Hall of the People for a day of meetings and a banquet dinner of Peking duck and pan-fried pork buns.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
The supply of hot dog buns, a key barometer of fan enthusiasm, was completely exhausted by early afternoon.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
