buddy
1 Americanverb (used without object)
verb phrase
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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
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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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noun
noun
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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.
Etymology
Origin of buddy
1840–50, perhaps reduced form of brother
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.
They don’t recognize each other because, while Kenna and Scotty were dating, Scotty’s buddy since boyhood Ledger was off playing for the Denver Broncos.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Additionally, Lucas and Coppola’s friendship frayed when the latter snatched back the directing gig for a film he had long ago promised to his buddy.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 20, 2026
It is not clear if Epstein's "buddy" referred to here is Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
Does it sound like the premise of a buddy flick?
From MarketWatch • Feb. 17, 2026
“My kinda guy! Let’s do it. I’ve been looking and looking: nobody here likes to play cards like I do! What do you want to play? Spades? I’ll crush you, buddy; I’ll crush you.”
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
