bub

American

[buhb] / bʌb /

noun

Slang.

(used as an often insolent term of address) brother; buddy.

bub British

/ bʌb /

noun

informal fellow; youngster: used as a form of address
slang
1. a baby
2. the first grade of schooling; nursery school

"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 bub

1830–40, perhaps < German Bub, short for Bube boy

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.

What that translates to, intentionally or not, is you’re on your own now, bub.

From Salon • Nov. 29, 2025

Just before Eboli’s “O don fatal,” the conductor pointed out to principal bassoon William Short how “it’s very different without the bub bub bub of the trumpets.”

From Seattle Times • Feb. 28, 2022

Molly McCully, a Lilly spokeswoman, told me Azar departed the company "to pursue other career opportunities" — typically code for "here's your hat, bub."

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 15, 2017

Hey now, I’m the one asking the questions, bub!

From The Verge • Feb. 26, 2016

"Well, bub, here we are," said the captain as he passed.

From Ben, the Luggage Boy; or, Among the Wharves by Alger, Horatio

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023