buddy up

verb

buddied up; buddying up; buddies up
US, informal
: to become friendly especially in order to get help or some advantage
often + with
New students are encouraged to buddy up with older students.
often + to
businessmen buddying up to politicians in order to get their support

Examples of buddy up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
DeVries falls to his knees, in an apparent effort to let Ray win, but Ray lifts his buddy up and drops to the ground, sacrificing himself. Brian Truitt, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Buddy up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/buddy%20up. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster