buddy
Pluralbuddies
Verbbuddies, buddying, buddied
Pluralbuddies
Formsbuddies, buddying, buddied
- 1A friend or casual acquaintance.
He called his old college buddy to catch up after years apart.
The two became fast buddies during summer camp.
UsageOften my old buddy or a college buddy; you can be buddies with someone.
Similarfriend, mate, pal, chum, bud
Oppositeenemy
Note
In J. D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye (1951), the word is casual enough to apply to Jesus, and that mismatch feeds Holden's mockery.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- J. D. Salinger wrote The Catcher in the Rye, first published in 1951. hachettebookgroup.com
- The novel applies buddy to Jesus; Holden narrates Ossenburger's advice. digital.library.unt.edu
- 2A person paired with another for a particular activity, such as training or hiking.
Every new recruit is paired with a training buddy for the first month.
Hiking buddies should agree on a turnaround time before setting off.
UsageThe activity usually comes first: a study buddy, a training buddy, a hiking buddy.
Note
The pair need not be equals, since training buddies can be a mentor and a newcomer. Read the word as "the person you do this with" rather than "a close friend." This pairing sense is the one the verb "to buddy" is built on.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- The pairing sense provides the semantic basis for the verb buddy. en.wiktionary.org
- 3An informal, friendly way of addressing a stranger, usually a man, and sometimes used as a placeholder name with an occasionally hostile tone.
Need a hand with those bags, buddy?
A driver leaned out and yelled, 'Move it, buddy!'
UsageWith strangers, buddy can sound rude or as though you are talking down to them, depending on the situation and your tone.
- 4
Less common meanings
- 5Used to refer to someone who is out of earshot or otherwise not involved in the conversation.
Buddy at the far end of the pier won't catch our signal.
Buddy next door has been mowing his lawn since six this morning.
UsageNo article: buddy over there, buddy next door, used much like he or that guy.
Note
In the English of Canada's Maritime provinces, the word works like a pronoun for someone outside the conversation: buddy must have been pissed; buddy's loaded. Where the form of address speaks to a stranger, this one speaks about a person who is not there to hear it.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Maritime English uses buddy like a pronoun for a person outside the conversation. en.wiktionary.org
- 6Having the appearance of a plant bud.
Some of the dwarfer varieties are full of buddy growths in the early stages and these must be cut down and thrown away.
1963, John Herbert Goddard, Chrysanthemum Growers' Treasury
Showing meanings only.
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Origin
First recorded around 1788 in the writings of Charles Dibdin, the word is of uncertain origin. It may be a child-talk alteration of 'brother' (as *bruddy or *bruthy), or perhaps from the British colloquial 'butty' ('companion'), an older dialect term for a workmate linked to coal mining and thought to go back to about 1530 as 'booty fellow', a partner one shares loot with. Another suggestion compares Scots 'buddo' or 'bodda' ('buddy, dear'), related to Icelandic 'budda' ('purse'; also 'short, stout person').
Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts
- The earliest recorded appearance is around 1788 in Charles Dibdin's writings, and the origin is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
- A proposed derivation is a child-talk alteration of brother through hypothetical bruddy or bruthy. en.wiktionary.org
- British butty, meaning companion or workmate and associated with mining, is another proposed source. en.wiktionary.org
- The proposed butty derivation connects it with booty fellow around 1530, meaning a partner who shares loot. en.wiktionary.org
- Another proposed comparison involves Scots buddo or bodda as affectionate terms, related to Icelandic budda with the stated meanings. en.wiktionary.org