dude

Dude means “guy,” and it’s one of the most flexible words in American English. It can be a greeting (“Dude!”), a way to address someone (“Dude, relax”) or a whole reaction on its own (“Duuude.”).

What dude means

Merriam-Webster’s everyday sense is simply fellow or guy, often used to address someone: “Hey, dude, what’s up?” In practice the tone is in the delivery. A quick “dude” gets attention, a stretched-out “duuude” can mean awe or disappointment, and “dude…” with a pause means “seriously?”

Dude used to mean a dandy

The word started out as an insult. Merriam-Webster’s first sense is a man extremely fussy about his clothes and manners, a dandy, and its second is a city person out of place on a Western ranch, which is where “dude ranch” comes from. The laid-back modern dude owes a lot to surfer and skater slang, and was immortalized by Jeff Bridges as “the Dude” in The Big Lebowski (1998).

Examples

• “Dude, where’s my phone?”
• “That was the longest game ever, dude.”
• “Dude! You made it!”

Where it came from

Nobody knows for sure. Merriam-Webster dates the word to 1877 and lists its origin as unknown. Wiktionary suggests it may be short for “doodle,” an old word for a fool, possibly with a nod to the “Yankee Doodle dandy” of the old song, and notes it first appeared as New York slang mocking fashionable young men.

Related terms

• Bro: a male friend.
• Bruh: bro, in disbelief.
• Mate: friend, British and Australian style.
• Homie: a close friend.

More everyday slang is in our Gen Z slang guide.