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.
-
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.
-
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:
Karen McCurry, who runs the wellbeing centre Snowdrop Argyll, set up the buddy scheme used by Maggie and Ina.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
When San Antonio’s big man Victor Wembanyama pointed to his temple after goading a Knick into a cheap foul, the taunt was clear: I’m in your head, buddy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
If someone trusts you with their money, it’s a huge privilege, but whether or not your former golf buddy would have made you more than you manage your own investments is largely irrelevant.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
Tim Coe is Sherman’s college buddy and the son of deceased Fellowship leader Doug Coe.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
This time my buddy Aldo was not lonely because he brought along his girlfriend, Maria, to meet the family.
From "The World According to Humphrey" by Betty G. Birney
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
Plus, long-haul flights are less affected by fuel shortages than short ones, says Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
Her parents had a huge record collection, and her “dad loved The Beatles and Buddy Holly; mom loved Elvis.”
From Salon ● May 7, 2026
So, too, did Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, the Grammy Award-winning guitar virtuoso and singer whom mentor Buddy Guy called “the next explosion of blues.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
One night Buddy talked a few friends into tying Old Man Munson’s brand-new buggy up in the branches of a tree.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
I guess being buddies at swanky Hamptons parties in the ’90s only goes so far.
From Slate ● Jun. 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
When it became apparent that it would not lead to business, the adviser sought out new golf buddies.
From MarketWatch ● May 29, 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
He nodded to one of his buddies on the hockey team.
From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely
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
But after Eden’s death, Danielle finds out that her daughter had buddied up to some of the local high school students by throwing parties when her employers were away.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 15, 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
Ministers’ aides were buddied up and told to get to grips with a different department so they could shadow each other if another fell sick.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 12, 2021
Finally, in 1627, his apprenticeships done, Rembrandt buddied up with a fellow Lastman student, Jan Lievens, to share a studio, and there began to sort out a mature style.
From New York Times ● Jun. 2, 2016
That’s what makes the negotiations so comical, and Moore looks like a fool for buddying up to John Angelos.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 9, 2023
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
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.
