dude

noun \ ˈdüd also ˈdyüd \

|Updated on: 16 Jun 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

That is to say, a young-ish, friendly-looking white dude.

— anne branigin, The Root, "Is This Your God?: Study Says Most Americans Think God Looks Like Chad from Applebee's," 13 June 2018
There have been exceptions, of course, but the epic hero journeys, the buddy comedies, the spy thrillers—most of them revolved around dudes.

— angela watercutter, WIRED, "Ocean's 8 Is Good, but It's Time for New Stories, Not Just Gender-Swaps," 8 June 2018
Shoemaker had sworn off romantic involvement with musicians, but this dude singing at El Matador was good-looking.

— matt wake, AL.com, "Grammys, tequila and Travolta: a Gulf Coast love story," 18 Apr. 2018
Maybe, the dudes at Alife suggest, this is the year the humble rubber clog can finally break into the mainstream.

— tyler watamanuk, GQ, "These Crocs-with-Socks Make a Case for the Luxury Clog," 31 May 2018
Men aren’t going to mess with another dude who might hurt them.

— blane bachelor, Outside Online, "Road Biking While Female," 23 May 2018
Beetlejuice was weird and creepy and vaguely rotting at the seams, but dude knew when a look worked for him.

— ella cerón, Teen Vogue, "Harry Styles' Band Is the Ultimate Gucci Gang," 22 May 2018
To salesmen everywhere who can’t seem to close the deal with women who sashay in with their own money and are ready to spend it: Get woke, dudes.

— BostonGlobe.com, "Letters to the editor of the Boston Globe Magazine," 18 May 2018
Flash-forward to this week's episode, which started with some sort of dude summit over a plate of lasagna and snapper at the (since-closed) Magazine Street pizzeria Amici.

— mike scott, NOLA.com, "Really, 'Southern Charm New Orleans'? A swamp tour?," 7 May 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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