homie
Americannoun
-
homies
plural
noun
Usage
What does homie mean? Homie is a slang term for a close friend. It can be used to refer to a friend, as in This is my homie Russel, or as a term of address for one, as in Hey, homie! Homie is sometimes spelled homey. It’s a shortened version of homeboy or homegirl, which are gender-specific but mean the same thing. These terms are all associated with urban and hip hop culture and are primarily used by members of African American and Latinx communities in the U. S. They commonly refer to a close friend who’s from the same neighborhood. In some cases, the words are used to refer to a fellow gang member. However, the terms have entered mainstream use and usually simply refer to a close friend. Homie is frequently used with a possessive pronoun, as in my homie. Example: I’m having a night out with just me and my homies.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of homie
First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening and alteration
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:
I’m in the living room with his homie, playing NBA 2 K, nervous.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Mikal: I’m excited to see all of them even though Stephanie Mills is my homie from Mount Vernon, N.Y.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
The homie has his iron, his belt, his shoes and socks.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2023
"Did you see?" my little homie, who is more like my nephew Ben said, "You hear about it?"
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2023
“Yep. Something like, ‘Curtis is my homie, he gon’ always know me, and when I’m making money, I’m gon’ go buy him a pony.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
We did every major event here, prom, homecoming, all the homies would come here and take photos across the different points of the house.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2026
“Was I supposed to call my homies like Sara Bareilles and say, ‘Hey, do you want to come play here?’”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2025
Shout out to Spanto and shout out to all of the homies who work for them as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2024
UAW counsel Benjamin Dictor on Sunday morning posted on the social media site X, formerly known as Twitter: "All my homies hate companies that won't agree to fair contracts for their workers."
From Reuters ● Oct. 29, 2023
She hoped that being far from his homies would put Nicholas on a straighter course.
From "Class Matters" by The New York Times
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.
