bestie
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of bestie
First recorded in 1990–95; best ( def. ) + -ie ( def. )
Explanation
You know that one friend who knows you better than anyone, your very closest pal? That's your bestie. The word bestie is an informal shorthand for "best friend." It's been used for decades by people describing their closest confidants, but it began appearing in dictionaries as a slang term some time after 2010. You might use bestie interchangeably with "BFF" to describe the one person you can trust completely to keep your secrets and save a seat for you on the bus no matter what.
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.
When Yan Junjie and Yun Yeyi left Chinese AI company SenseTime they were banking on a future where AI was more than a glorified search engine, and could eventually be your new work bestie.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026
Stracke invited her bestie Garcelle Beauvais and Richards along with her to visit her 82-year-old mother, Reba, who is essentially a lab-made amalgamation of every Southern matriarch from a stage drama about buried family trauma.
From Salon • Mar. 5, 2025
But while Joan and Lin are a familial force to be reckoned with, Alma's relationship with her bestie Leanne is arguably the show's cornerstone.
From BBC • Oct. 7, 2024
He is the co-founder of the decade-defining boutique and brand Opening Ceremony with longtime bestie and business partner Carol Lim.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2024
So Britain decided to call in a favor from their bestie: the United States.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
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.
