dude

1 of 2

noun

ˈdüd 

 also  ˈdyüd

1

: a man extremely fastidious in dress and manner : dandy

2

: a city dweller unfamiliar with life on the range (see range entry 1 sense 3b)

especially : an Easterner in the West

3

informal : fellow, guy

The other girls in the program never go out, so I always find myself out with dudes from my program.

—Cosmopolitan

—sometimes used as a term of address

Hey, dude, what's up?

dudish

ˈd(y)üd-ish 

adjective

dudishly adverb

dude

2 of 2

verb

duded; duding

transitive verb

: dress up

—usually used with up

got duded up for the dance

Synonyms

Noun

• beau
• Beau Brummell
• buck
• dandy
• fop
• gallant
• jay
• lounge lizard
• macaroni
• pretty boy

Examples of dude in a Sentence

Noun

a dude given to sporting expensive suits and flashy jewelry

OK, dude, whatever you say.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Just a big ol’ country boy with no neck, throwing dudes around like hay bales. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024

Walking into that meeting and seeing that Star on these dudes’ hats. —David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

origin unknown

Verb

noun derivative of dude entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1877, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1899, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing dude

• dude ranch
• wandering dude

Kids Definition

dude

noun

ˈd(y)üd

1

: a man who pays excessive attention to his dress : dandy

2

: an Easterner in the West

3

: man entry 1 sense 1a, guy

dudish

ˈd(y)üd-ish

adjective