dude

noun \ ˈdüd also ˈdyüd \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: dude in a Sentence

Definition of dude

1 : a man extremely fastidious in dress and manner : dandy

2 : a city dweller unfamiliar with life on the range (see ¹range 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

play \ˈd(y)üd-ish\ adjective

—

dudishly

adverb

See dude defined for English-language learners

See dude defined for kids

Examples of dude in a Sentence

a dude given to sporting expensive suits and flashy jewelry
OK, dude, whatever you say.

Recent Examples of dude from the Web

Swaggy also tried to form an dudes alliance with Faysal, Winston and Brett...but Brett and Winston are part of Level Six, which is the group actually in control of the house.

— demetrio teniente, Houston Chronicle, "Big Brother power rankings: Day 19," 9 July 2018
The result was Walden, or Life in the Woods, a preachy treatise on the benefits of solitary dude time off the grid, and required reading for high schoolers all across America.

— refinery29.com, "What Americana Means (And Doesn't) In 2018: From Childish Gambino To Roseanne," 3 July 2018
This is a classic dude line that needs to die die die.

— kim tranell, Seventeen, "10 Sex Myths You Shouldn't Believe," 23 Feb. 2018
Why not give Wasp a truly tough Marvel assignment, like being the one to knock out that big mauve dude with the jeweled glove?

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp Has Stakes as Small as Its Superheroes But It’s Hard to Dislike," 3 July 2018
Maybe Justin is a jealous guy and doesn't feel comfortable seeing another dude on Hailey's feed?

— victoria rodriguez, Seventeen, "OMG! Hailey Baldwin Deleted Every Instagram Photo with Shawn Mendes," 27 June 2018
Side Track is an OG that attracts its fair share of furry dudes and leather.

— andrew richdale, GQ, "Five Gay Vacation Spots That Are Less Tired Than Fire Island," 21 June 2018
The Starns have the aura of veteran rock dudes, the kind of guys who party late and don’t brush their long gray hair the next morning.

— molly glentzer, Houston Chronicle, "Museum’s ‘Big Bambú’ installation invites physical interaction," 8 June 2018
Bachelor Nation is currently having a blast posting side-by-side photos of the dudes this year and their celebrity doppelgängers.

— christopher rosa, Glamour, "Twitter Is Having a Blast Comparing the Bachelorette Contestants to Celebrities," 7 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dude.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of dude

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1877

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

dude Synonyms

Synonyms

buck, fella, fellow, gent, gentleman, guy, hombre, joker, lad, male, man;

Related Words

master, mister, sir;

buddy, buster;

dude

verb

Definition of dude

duded; duding

transitive verb

: dress up —usually used with up

got duded up for the dance

Recent Examples of dude from the Web

Here's the whole thing: Dude's totally a virgin, right?

— laura beck, Cosmopolitan, "This Bonkers Craigslist Poster Seeks Woman to Impregnate During Eclipse," 13 Aug. 2017
At first glance, Wyoming's feminist history isn't obvious (see: dude ranch).

— jordi lippe-mcgraw, Condé Nast Traveler, "Is Wyoming The Most Feminist State Ever?," 14 Apr. 2017

Origin and Etymology of dude

noun derivative of ¹dude

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1899

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

DUDE Defined for English Language Learners

dude

noun

Definition of dude for English Language Learners

: a man

DUDE Defined for Kids

dude

noun \ ˈdüd , ˈdyüd \

Definition of dude for Students

1 : a person from the eastern United States in the West

2 : ¹man 1, guy

Learn More about dude

See words that rhyme with dude Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for dude Spanish Central: Translation of dude Nglish: Translation of dude for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of dude for Arabic speakers

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dude

Definition of dude

dudish

dudishly

Examples of dude in a Sentence

Recent Examples of dude from the Web

Origin and Etymology of dude

dude Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

dude

Definition of dude

Recent Examples of dude from the Web

Origin and Etymology of dude

DUDE Defined for English Language Learners

dude

Definition of dude for English Language Learners

DUDE Defined for Kids

dude

Definition of dude for Students

Learn More about dude

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