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)
-
buddies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
buddied,
past participle, past
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buddying
present participle
verb phrase
-
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
-
buddysimple
-
buddiessimple
-
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
-
have been buddyingperfect progressive
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has been buddyingperfect progressive
Past
-
buddiedsimple
-
had buddiedperfect
-
was buddyingprogressive
-
were buddyingprogressive
-
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:
“My buddy looks at me and I’m like, ‘Dude, the turnover in public schools is crazy,’” Puder said.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
“That’s my little buddy right there,” he says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Karen McCurry, who runs the wellbeing centre Snowdrop Argyll, set up the buddy scheme used by Maggie and Ina.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
But the fact that your golf buddy never discussed any political topic could merely mean that people are there to golf.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 8, 2026
One guy snorts and sizes me up, then he and his buddy huddle together.
From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz
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
He was especially moved when he was riding in Pacoima and saw a Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens mural that memorializes the tragic plane crash that killed both Holly and Valens.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
His parents didn’t agree, so he struggled with various cobbled-together instruments and learned songs by Buddy Holly and other rock pioneers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Plus, long-haul flights are less affected by fuel shortages than short ones, says Patrick De Haan, the head of petroleum analysis at Gas Buddy.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
She’d been surprised when Lucy and Buddy suggested that Dallas and Florida should be sent back to the Home right away.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
It’s hard not to walk out of “Nimrods” with a little spark of desire to start a punk band and hit the road with your buddies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
"Brian was there for two weeks, he spent the first week with one group of buddies and the second with another friend from America," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
The group late last year unveiled generative AI-powered "Teammates", computer-controlled buddies supposed to join in matches with human players.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
All of us have lots of unexpected places to spread social influence; to our parents, co-workers, run-club buddies, and on and on.
From Slate ● May 15, 2026
You’re just chilling out in the bag, hanging with your buddies, and then you get dumped into a pan full of slippery oil.
From "Popcorn" by Rob Harrell
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
As for Undecided, Robinson buddied up with Dawn Potts, her off-trail name, for the first 100 miles of the trek.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 6, 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
Ministers’ aides were buddied up and told to get to grips with a different department so they could shadow each other if another fell sick.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 12, 2021
They buddied up at movies and concerts; shared books and records.
From New York Times ● Jan. 27, 2016
The attorneys were buddying up to the client, like “I could do this for you, I’m going to do that for you, you can call me 24/7, I’m always available, I have your back.”
From Slate ● Dec. 6, 2019
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
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.
