buddy
noun
comrade or chum (often used as a term of address).
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buddy
1 American
[buhd-ee]
/ ˈbʌd i /
verb (used without object)
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buddies,
present (3rd person singular)
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buddied,
past participle, past
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buddying
present participle
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
-
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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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
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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.
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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buddysimple
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buddiessimple
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have buddiedperfect
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has buddiedperfect
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am buddyingprogressive
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are buddyingprogressive
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is buddyingprogressive
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have been buddyingperfect progressive
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has been buddyingperfect progressive
Past
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buddiedsimple
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had buddiedperfect
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was buddyingprogressive
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were buddyingprogressive
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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:
Watch an Oscar-worthy performance: The filmmaker behind The Banshees of Inisherin is back with another pitch-black buddy comedy.
From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026
And for those who didn’t go alone, finding a buddy was half the fun.
From Salon ● Oct. 22, 2026
"You're floating around in the air, and you give a little tap with your foot, and you can sail over to say hello to your buddy."
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
"I'll definitely make that offer to my old buddy, old pal, and we'll see if he's available," said 38-year-old Fury.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
“That’s okay, buddy, we all need shots once in a while.”
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
When Stephanie Young's cat Buddy went missing from her garden in September last year, she flooded pet rescue sites and social media groups with information about him.
From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026
And it got buried like a Tom Snyder sit-down with Buddy Hackett.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
But Buddy doesn’t like it when the children don’t obey him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026
Tencent said it’s making “substantial progress” toward being AI-empowered, through its Hy3 LLM, WorkBuddy AI office productivity service and Core Buddy AI coding tool.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
The campground was run by Buddy and Jensine Crossman, who seemed friendly and welcoming.
From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson
“So are my buddies, though. It’s a good time. We sometimes get a little heated, but it’s good though. It’s all in fun. So, yeah, Lakers fans should know that I’m competitive. Very competitive.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
Mel might be a disaster with her loud mouth and impolite antics, but her over-the-top meddling does her buddies some good.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Chinese users of AI-powered companion bots have bid heart-rending farewells to their virtual buddies as national regulations took effect Wednesday aimed at curbing the risk of emotional dependency.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 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
“Missed my fishing buddies today,” he called when he came into the yard.
From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
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
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
He has veered between buddying up to China’s President Xi Jinping and attacking Beijing over trade.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 8, 2018
Now we have NK and China buddying up,especially at a crucial time following the trade issues.
From New York Times ● Mar. 27, 2018
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
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