dude

noun \ ˈdüd also ˈdyüd \

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 :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 informally 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

Right now the nation just sees flooding and burly, boat-owning white dudes saving people from immediate disaster.

— charles d. ellison, The Root, "Race and Class Are the Biggest Issues Around Hurricane Harvey and We Need to Start Talking About Them," 29 Aug. 2017
For a sports team to work, heir games have to be more than just an option for families looking for something to do, or jumping off point for dudes looking to spend their evening getting wasted, the games and their results have to matter.

— mo egger, Cincinnati.com, "Guest TML: Let me tell you about Doc...," 18 Aug. 2017
Manhertz, an athletic dude who looks the part, continues to struggle with drops.

— joseph person and jourdan rodrigue, charlotteobserver, "How much did Panthers QB Cam Newton throw? That, 10 other observations from Friday," 11 Aug. 2017
When the day came for these outside agitators to show their faces (and/or hoods), the ragtag band of bearded, wild-eyed white dudes numbered 40 or 50.

— bob moser, New Republic, "The Left’s Supporting Role in American Hate Theater," 7 Aug. 2017
Dude, c’mon, a year from now things may be a little bit different.’

— tod palmer, kansascity, "Mizzou freshman Michael Porter Jr. astounds during summer workouts," 27 July 2017
Three dudes were pulled over after troopers caught them traveling over 113-mph in a Ford Mustang in Taylor County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol, reports the Tallahassee Democrat.

— barbara hijek, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Men speeding 113 mph with dope in car claimed to be "late for class," troopers say," 20 July 2017
Now, just as our patience with dudes mansplaining periods was running out, male Twitter user @goldenconceptng is claiming that period pain is—ready for this?—a figment of our collective imagination.

— suzannah weiss, Glamour, "A Man (Yes, a Man) Just Said 'Menstrual Pain Is a Myth' and Twitter Is Not Having It," 18 July 2017
On a Saturday morning the park is a hive of activity: cute families strolling with expensive dogs, scruffy-hot dudes with their girlfriends who somehow make platform sneakers seem like a good idea, old people already napping on park benches.

— ryan healey, GQ, "Is Mexico City the New Iceland?," 17 July 2017

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.