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.

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bun ² American  

[buhn] / bʌn /

idioms

1. have a bun on, to be intoxicated.

   Everyone at the party seemed to have a bun on.

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BUN ³ American  

abbreviation

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

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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

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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

On it was a cartoon likeness of a smiling, winking chef with a face shaped like a hamburger bun and, in big red letters, the word “McDonald’s.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

The teen is wearing black glasses and braided hair styled in a bun with blue highlights.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 18, 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

Gathering it in my hands, I twist it around on itself and secure it into a messy bun on top of my head, and focus on the swans, the reason I’m here.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• bread
• doughnut
• muffin
• pastry
• scone