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Synonyms

bun

1 American  
[buhn] / bʌn /

noun

  1. any of a wide variety of variously shaped bread rolls, usually leavened and slightly sweetened or plain, sometimes containing spices, dried currants, etc.

  2. hair gathered into a round coil or knot at the nape of the neck or on top of the head in certain coiffures.

  3. Slang. buns, the buttocks.

bun 2 American  
[buhn] / bʌn /

idioms

  1. have a bun on, to be intoxicated.

    Everyone at the party seemed to have a bun on.
BUN 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. blood urea nitrogen: the concentration of nitrogen in the blood in the form of urea, indicating kidney function.

bun British  
/ bʌn /

noun

  1. a small roll, similar to bread but usually containing sweetening, currants, spices, etc

  2. any of various types of small round sweet cakes

  3. a hairstyle in which long hair is gathered into a bun shape at the back of the head

  4. slang to be pregnant

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bun1

1325–75; Middle English bunne, possibly of Romance origin; buñuelo ( def. )

Origin of bun2

First recorded in 1900–05; of uncertain origin

Origin of BUN3

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

She ended up wearing her hair in a visible bun as a compromise, the complaint states.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

The chicken Parmesan sliders are called Chicky Chicky Parm Parm and have the American Express Centurion emblazoned on the bun.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

She mocked Paul Thomas Anderson’s award season favorite “One Battle After Another” by calling it “one man bun after another.”

From Salon • Jan. 12, 2026

When he gets excited or gestures for emphasis, a dreadlock falls from his bun and shakes with his words.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2025

At his side, my mother, wearing her gray-streaked braids in a high bun, supports him by the elbow as they finally reach the landing.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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.