Translations dictionary bato or vato [bah toh] What does bato mean? Bato is a Spanish slang term that means, roughly, "guy, buddy, or dude." It always pertains to males. Vato, with a v, is also used, but has a different connotation, and can be seen as vulgar and offensive. Related words: papi yout habibi vato loco What's hot š Leaf Fluttering in the Wind emoji white boy summer cancel culture simp Where does bato come from? este vato The sense of “guy or dude” is first seen forĀ batoĀ on Urban Dictionary in a post made in October, 2006.Ā Vato is seen before that, in a post made in 2002. Either way, it’s clear …Ā batoĀ orĀ vatoĀ have been describing dudes in Spanish for a decent amount of time. In fact, The San Diego Reader wrote an article describingĀ batoĀ in 1992 … some time indeed. In it, they said “BatoĀ can mean a guy, a Latin, a friend, or even be used instead ofĀ locoĀ orĀ chifladoto call somebody crazy in a complimentary way.” So, is there a difference betweenĀ batoĀ andĀ vato? Seems so. Vato is a variation of batoāthe result of both v and b sounding similar, and a shortening of the word chivato, which is rooted in street slang of the ’40s, meaningĀ informant, or snitch in gang and crime life. But,Ā vatoĀ has a bit of a rougher past thanĀ bato.Ā Because of it’s gang history, it has an implicit “bad boy” undercurrent to it. And,Ā vatoĀ has a feminine counterpart:Ā vata, which can be used to refer to prostitutes or a female who owes someone money. BatoĀ is just a friendly term, used among male friends. Examples of bato I hate the N word, like i hate it & Mexicans say it waaaaay too much, i rather you say ādude or broā or even āvatoā over you calling everyone a N. Like even girls refer to all guys as N. Can we just like...not? @mommakarlz, June, 2018 "SeƱora, my primo Rick, he is one tough bato." Jan Atencio, "Storm on the Rio Grande," 2003 Does anyone Know where I could Rent A Vato (Man) š¤š¤·š½āāļø I have a Flat tirĆ© and Bitchhhh I for sure donāt know How To Change that shit!!! šš @angelitoH72, June, 2018 SEE MORE EXAMPLES Popular now š Leaf Fluttering in the Wind emoji white boy summer cancel culture simp Who uses bato? Bato‘sĀ implication is always friendly, and it’s used among male friends. In some countries and regions, vato isĀ used among friends, as in homeboy. In other cultures, it’s used as an expletive, an obscene label for a man, with a wide variety of implications. Despite, the negative implications,Ā vatoĀ seems to be the more commonly used word (over bato). It’s best to stick to bato, if you’re not a well-versed or native Spanish speaker or are unsure about the usage. Just Added š Globe Showing Europe-Africa, š Globe Showing Americas, š Globe Showing Asia-Australia, š Fallen Leaf emoji, š Leaf Fluttering in the Wind emoji Note This is not meant to be a formal definition of bato like most terms we define on Dictionary.com, but is rather an informal word summary that hopefully touches upon the key aspects of the meaning and usage of bato that will help our users expand their word mastery.