buddy

1 of 3

noun

bud·​dy ˈbə-dē How to pronounce buddy (audio)
plural buddies
1
2
: fellow
used especially in informal address

buddy

2 of 3

verb

buddied; buddying

intransitive verb

: to become friendly
usually used with up or with

buddy

3 of 3

adjective

: featuring a friendship or partnership between the two main usually male characters
a buddy movie

Examples of buddy in a Sentence

Noun His fishing buddy just bought a new boat. my old college buddy is the one person I can always turn to
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Peril, some potty humor in Dragon Warrior buddy comedy. Common Sense Media, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 Streamer Adin Ross, for example, wasted no time getting his buddies together to take turns shooting his Cybertruck to demonstrate its tank-like toughness. Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 7 Mar. 2024 Sidekick to: Larry David Would Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry be able to make a complete mess of any awkward situation without his manager/best buddy? Ew Staff Updated, EW.com, 6 Mar. 2024 That’s notable because billionaire franchisee Greg Flynn, who owns two dozen Panera Bread restaurants in California, is an old Newsom buddy and also a mega-donor to Newsom’s campaigns for reelection and to defeat the 2022 recall attempt. Andrew Sheeler, Sacramento Bee, 4 Mar. 2024 At this year’s MWC, an overseas tradeshow where Google typically has a booth to remind the world that its mobile platform is global, the Android maker has announced new ways to interact with Gemini from inside Google Messages as if Gemini were just another buddy. Florence Ion / Gizmodo, Quartz, 26 Feb. 2024 Sixteen-year-old Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and his cousin and best buddy Moussa (Moustapha Fall) are a rambunctious duo who love joining in the impromptu music and dance festivals that throng the streets of Dakar. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Feb. 2024 There’s also the Miracle League baseball, bowling and soccer programs, which pair kids who need a sports-playing buddy with high school students for a season. Beth Lipoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Feb. 2024 This was a more cerebral buddy cop drama than we were accustomed to watching. Erik Kain, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
Some young fish like to buddy up with stinging jellies to stay safe from predators. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2016 Only Jack Harlow and Dua Lipa buddy up at Variety's Hitmakers Brunch, presented by IHG Hotels and Resorts, at Studio 13 at City Market Social House on Dec. 3 in Los Angeles. People Staff, Peoplemag, 9 Dec. 2022 To mark its inclusion, Harry agreed to buddy up with Tokyo Paralympics silver medalist Thomas Schmidberger for a round of doubles back in April. Rosa Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 30 Nov. 2022 The chance to buddy up with some of the best in the game is another opportunity first-time All-Stars should not overlook, Bieber said. Joe Noga, cleveland, 18 July 2022 Our lives will never be the same without you buddy. Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE.com, 4 July 2022 Tweens and teens can buddy up at Edge and Vibe, respectively, two chic hangouts with activities curated specifically for them. Brie Schwartz, Woman's Day, 11 May 2022 To mark its inclusion, Harry agreed to buddy up with 2021 Tokyo Paralympics silver medalist Thomas Schmidberger for a round of doubles. Omid Scobie, Harper's BAZAAR, 20 Apr. 2022 His political opponents are aghast that a former human-rights lawyer, imprisoned as a student activist for opposing South Korea’s own military dictatorship, could buddy up to a man like Kim. Time, 23 June 2021
Adjective
Swift shared a smile with buddy Blake Shelton backstage at the 2007 CMT Awards. Diane J. Cho, Peoplemag, 13 Dec. 2022 No current quarterback can match the power runs of Allen, the Padres fan whose buddy Trevor Hoffman married a Bills cheerleader. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Dec. 2022 There may never be another buddy comedy pair with chemistry like John Cho and Kal Penn. Aimée Lutkin, ELLE, 30 Nov. 2022 It’s a buddy movie where the buddies can also go their separate ways. Marta Balaga, Variety, 20 Aug. 2022 Blockbuster adopts that formula but also adapts it; through Percy, in particular, Blockbuster becomes not just a workplace comedy but also a family comedy and a buddy comedy. Megan Garber, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2022 Since Brett Favre arrived in 1992, the Packers have 78 more wins than the Bears … With last Monday’s win, Kyle Shanahan has won seven straight regular-season meetings over his buddy Sean McVay of the Rams. Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 8 Oct. 2022 Post-apocalyptic survival meets the anxious buddy humor of Humpday in Biosphere, a mysterious and hilarious pic that really can’t be discussed much without saying things a prospective viewer would be better off not hearing. John Defore, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2022 His friend, Tim Pyles, reached out to his buddy Brian Witkin, head of Pacific Records in San Diego, who made the connection with Gibbons. San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'buddy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

probably baby talk alteration of brother

First Known Use

Noun

1896, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1918, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of buddy was in 1896

Dictionary Entries Near buddy

Cite this Entry

“Buddy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buddy. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

buddy

noun
bud·​dy
ˈbəd-ē
plural buddies

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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