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

From there it opens up, like a flower bud warming to summer, with acoustic guitar strumming, a gentle rhythm section and a gospel choir echoing with otherworldly lightness.

From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

"It needs to be nipped in the bud because today's petty thief is tomorrow's bank robber," he says.

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

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

From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025

The leaves get smaller and yellower, folding back toward the bud, and the air crisps.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Grindr’s efforts to court advertisers are still being complicated by brand controversies going back to the 2023 Bud Light boycott, CEO George Arison said Tuesday at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival in New York City.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

IndyCar organizer Bud Denker told reporters earlier this week that Penske would take any responsibility for damage: “if something happens during the race, we’re responsible for fixing your roads and after the race as well.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime event," said Bud Denker, Freedom 250 chairman and president of IndyCar owner Penske Corporation.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 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

After breaking Bud that spring, Shawn had taken up horses in a serious way.

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

Some of the rose buds had also started to rot, but she's dried them out and made a resin artwork scattered with the salvageable petals.

From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2026

They can help your gut, your blood pressure, your cholesterol—and your taste buds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026

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

From Salon ● Jan. 5, 2026

The buds on a weeping spruce cascade over a small embankment—a little hint of life beneath the desiccated vines and leaves.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

Researchers also observed the archaeon producing chains of budded vesicles along with elaborate tube-like structures.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 3, 2026

“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

But the year turned to spring and the willows grew faintly green and the peach trees budded pink, and Wang Lung had not yet found the one he sought for his son.

From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck

The Clippers were so desperate for a star to pick them, they didn’t pick up on the fact that they already had a budding superstar in their midst.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

The team hopes to win a Super Bowl by betting that its budding star can outscore just about anyone.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

It was the start of the second quarter on Friday night, when USC quarterback Jayden Maiava spotted his budding star freshman soaring on a slot post through the wide-open center of the field.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

For George, it's been quite the experience, and he has some advice for other budding archaeologists.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

As May neared, I found myself hosting more scraps of fabric than budding leaves.

From "Wishtree" by Katherine Applegate