homie

American  

[hoh-mee] / ˈhoʊ mi /

Or homey

noun

Slang.

1. a homeboy or homegirl.

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homie British  

/ ˈhəʊmɪ /

noun

1. slang short for homeboy or homegirl See homeboy

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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.

Etymology

Origin of homie

First recorded in 1940–45; by shortening and alteration

Example Sentences

It was already a guy named Bart from Action Figures, and he had a little homie — everybody had crazy names — named Bart Deuce.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 10, 2025

I always told Spanto: “I’m your least hard homie, is that cool?”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2024

"Did you see?" my little homie, who is more like my nephew Ben said, "You hear about it?"

From Salon • Aug. 5, 2023

“When I heard Coolio’s verse, I’m like, ‘Yo, it feels like the homie is still here,” he said, showing off a large portrait tattoo of his labelmate Coolio on his chest.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 7, 2023

"Listen," Black said, taking a step toward him, "I'm not playing with you. Ten bucks, homie."

From "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds