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.
And this isn't a bust-up between buddies that will easily blow over.
From BBC
Under a previous Labour government, as it turns out, Mandelson had leaked loads of confidential financial information to his good buddy Epstein, and then lied about their friendship for years afterward.
From Salon
Like a “buddy check” in the Army, the group chat gives them a space to talk about what they’re going through.
From Salon
You don’t want to have to sleep on the same couch your buddy spilled guacamole dip all over during the big game, do you?
From Los Angeles Times
He asks his son to ignore the crowd in the bedroom and departs with a cheerful “Love you, buddy!”
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.
