homie
Americannoun
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:
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
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
“My homie @mister1223 just sent this to me from his son. His son said ‘I didn’t know Bron was #1 prospect in Ohio??
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2023
"Did you see?" my little homie, who is more like my nephew Ben said, "You hear about it?"
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2023
“What about you, homie? You recoverin’ all right and everything?”
From "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
Plant-based dinner with the homies We love going to this spot called Salaya in Thai Town.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
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
Just three days prior, he had hosted a “barber battle” in Highland Park, with a crowd of stylists squaring off in a showdown that fellow homies raved about.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
The next time Boyle saw Fernandez at Homeboy he was not encouraged, because Fernandez arrived “deep,” street slang for surrounding himself with other homies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2023
“They’re not your homies if you gotta hide from them,” I say.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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.
