buddy
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb phrase
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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
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to become friendly; be on friendly or intimate terms.
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to work closely together.
to buddy up with a student from another high school.
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noun
noun
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Also called (as a term of address): bud. an informal word for friend
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a volunteer who visits and gives help and support to a person suffering from AIDS
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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.
Etymology
Origin of buddy
1840–50, perhaps reduced form of brother
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.
To the audience, it’s a heartening buddy dramedy about two boys choosing to forge a brighter path and quickly realizing they make each other better people.
From Salon
It is not clear if Epstein's "buddy" referred to here is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
From BBC
“Hey, Jonah buddy,” Dad said, too heartily, as soon as Jonah said hello.
From Literature
Two years later, he and a group of college buddies piled into vans to drive south for King’s Selma-to-Montgomery march.
From Los Angeles Times
And this isn't a bust-up between buddies that will easily blow over.
From BBC
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.
