homie
A homie is a close friend, one of the people from your neighborhood or your crew. It’s short for homeboy, or homegirl.
What homie means
Merriam-Webster lists homie as a spelling of homey, a shortened form of homeboy: someone from your neighborhood, hometown or region, and more broadly a friend or a member of your peer group. In everyday use it’s warm and loyal. Calling someone “the homie” (“he’s the homie”) means they’re one of your people, and “the homies” are your friend group.
Examples
- “Me and the homies are going to the game.”
- “He’s not just my coworker, he’s my homie.”
- “Thanks for the help, homie.”
Where it came from
Merriam-Webster dates homeboy, in the sense of a boy or man from your hometown, to 1847, and the short form homey, or homie, to 1929.
Related terms
More everyday slang is in our Gen Z slang guide.
Notes
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