dude
Americannoun
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dudes
plural
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a man excessively concerned with his clothes, grooming, and manners.
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Slang
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a fellow; chap.
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(a general term of address used to a man, woman, or group).
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a person reared in a large city.
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Western U.S. an urban Easterner who vacations on a ranch.
interjection
verb phrase
noun
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a city dweller, esp one holidaying on a ranch
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a dandy
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a person: often used to any male in direct address
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dude
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; origin uncertain
Explanation
Dude is a slang greeting term between men, meaning "guy" or "man." For example: "Dude! So, like, what's up?" It's been popularized by movies and TV shows, and has a distinctive whiff of American West Coast hippie culture to it. In the American nineteenth century dude had another life as a term for a dandy — a particularly well-groomed and fancily-dressed young man. From this came the term of dude as meaning a big city dweller unfamiliar with the ways of the Wild West. When such types came out West to enjoy the rugged life, they stayed in "dude ranches," basically resorts or spas, not real working ranches, and the term is still around today.
Vocabulary lists containing dude
Least Presidential Vocabulary Used by Presidential Candidates during the GOP Debate (Sept. 16, 2015)
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Ben Zimmer's 30 Great American Words
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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:
McDonald looked over at Davis at one point, saying, "talk to your lawyer man, this dude is tripping".
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
Ranch dressing was pioneered in Alaska, popularized on a dude ranch in California and perfected by food scientists before it spread all over the nation and on every food imaginable.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
And I’m like, dude, that’s not how language works.
From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026
The Doctor will be sillier or more serious, calmer or crazier, more physical or more cerebral, and never again necessarily a white dude.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
“This is the neighbor dude who yelled at your dad when we hit the baseball into his window?”
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
They’re almost always surfer dudes with the fearless spirit of a pole vaulter and the willingness to experiment.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Trump and Sean “Diddy” Combs have been known acquaintances for years—or whatever it’s called when two rich and famous dudes in entertainment are often invited to the same charity events, galas, and afterparties.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Alone together, Rick and Danny are just two dudes who love music.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
Referring to the synthetic soldier, Justine Moore, an AI-focused partner at Silicon Valley investor Andreessen Horowitz, wrote on X: "I'm genuinely floored by how many dudes are following influencers that are clearly AI."
From Barron's ● May 10, 2026
I asked, offering my elbow to her like dudes do to women in old movies.
From "Here to Stay" by Sara Farizan
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.
