buddy
noun
comrade or chum (often used as a term of address).
buddy
1 American
[buhd-ee]
/ ˈbʌd i /
verb (used without object)
-
buddies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
buddied,
past participle, past
-
buddying
present participle
verb phrase
-
buddy up to to become friendly with or curry the favor of.
He was buddying up to the political bosses.
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buddy up
-
to become friendly; be on friendly or intimate terms.
-
to work closely together.
to buddy up with a student from another high school.
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Buddy
2
American
[buhd-ee]
/ ˈbʌd i /
noun
buddy
British
/ ˈbʌdɪ /
noun
-
Also called (as a term of address): bud. an informal word for friend
-
a volunteer who visits and gives help and support to a person suffering from AIDS
-
a volunteer who gives help and support to a person who has become disabled but is returning to work
verb
Usage
What does buddy mean? Buddy is most commonly used as an informal word for a friend. Buddy is often used as a form of address (as in Hey, buddy, I haven’t seen you in a while!) or a term of endearment (an affectionate way of referring to someone). It is sometimes shortened to bud. Buddy is primarily used in the United States. Example: We don’t get together as much as we used to, but whenever I hang out with my buddies from college it’s still like old times.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
buddysimple
-
buddiessimple
-
have buddiedperfect
-
has buddiedperfect
-
am buddyingprogressive
-
are buddyingprogressive
-
is buddyingprogressive
-
have been buddyingperfect progressive
-
has been buddyingperfect progressive
Past
-
buddiedsimple
-
had buddiedperfect
-
was buddyingprogressive
-
were buddyingprogressive
-
had been buddyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of buddy
1840–50, perhaps reduced form of brother
Explanation
A buddy is a good friend. Your best buddy in elementary school may still be a good buddy when you graduate from high school. If you love to hang out with a certain friend, she's your buddy. You could also call her your pal or your chum. Sometimes when kids are new in school, a teacher will ask another student to be their buddy — to help them feel comfortable and welcome. The word first appeared in the mid-19th century in the US, either as slang for brother or from the British butty, or "companion."
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:
“Wasabi has always been my best buddy when trying some Wagyu,” Sakai says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Although Kushner chose not to officially rejoin his father-in-law’s second administration, he is serving, along with Trump’s real estate buddy Steve Witkoff, as its special diplomatic envoy.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
But he added there was an "endless" list of characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe he would love to buddy up with next.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
“That’s my little buddy right there,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
I observe that he is using buddy to refer to me.
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Worse, Acme is represented by John Cena’s ferocious defense attorney Buddy Crane, the former wrestler making full use of his cartoonish features: lantern jaw, perma-frown, and a bull neck thick enough for boulder-sized bolo ties.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
By contrast, Murrill’s more moderate Republican predecessor, Buddy Caldwell, who served as attorney general from 2008 to 2015, opposed just 33% of all claims.
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
The actor and comedian, who played the department store manager fed up with the holiday antics of Will Ferrell’s Buddy in “Elf,” was arrested Tuesday night in Florida’s Hillsborough County on two contempt-of-court charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026
To have seen a performance choreographed by Buddy Bradley in his prime must have been magical indeed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Now, there may have been reasons why Buddy acted up.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
It’s hard not to walk out of “Nimrods” with a little spark of desire to start a punk band and hit the road with your buddies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Before the plates were cleared, Greg Abbott told his buddies around the table that there was something else he wanted to order—and it wasn’t on the menu.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
"Brian was there for two weeks, he spent the first week with one group of buddies and the second with another friend from America," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
The group late last year unveiled generative AI-powered "Teammates", computer-controlled buddies supposed to join in matches with human players.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
His buddies, including Clint and Logan, give him high fives.
From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
While his daughter and her friend were “bopping away” to every song, Grant said, he buddied up with Swift’s boyfriend, NFL tight end Travis Kelce.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2024
As for Undecided, Robinson buddied up with Dawn Potts, her off-trail name, for the first 100 miles of the trek.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 2023
A 12-year-old girl who has just recovered from leukaemia has been buddied with a West End star through Momentum Children's Charity.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2022
By then he had buddied up with Chilean Yonathan Jesús Fernández and Mexican Germán Madrozo, whose prospects were as farcically bad as his were.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 1, 2019
They buddied up and eventually shared a studio, but while Mr. Bengston stuck with painting, for Price clay became the way.
From New York Times ● Jun. 20, 2013
That could look like buddying up with people you already live with, or who you are already consciously choosing to socialize with.
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2020
Now we have NK and China buddying up,especially at a crucial time following the trade issues.
From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2018
On another wall: a picture of Dixie Fuller, former stage manager for the band Alabama, buddying up with ZZ Top.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2017
But when his scar starts to sting again, he assumes the darkness that he feels and his disturbing dreams must be connected to the former Death Eater’s son who is buddying up to his son.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 5, 2016
Vonetta, who was buddying up to one of the three sisters, could get her own toast.
From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
