dude
Americannoun
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a man excessively concerned with his clothes, grooming, and manners.
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Slang
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a fellow; chap.
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(a general term of address used to a man, woman, or group).
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a person reared in a large city.
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Western U.S. an urban Easterner who vacations on a ranch.
interjection
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Slang (an expression of shock, approval, sympathy, or other strong feeling).
Dude! That's one expensive sandwich!
verb phrase
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dude up to dress in one's fanciest, best, or most stylish clothes; dress up.
He got all duded up to go to the dance.
noun
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a city dweller, esp one holidaying on a ranch
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a dandy
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a person: often used to any male in direct address
Other Word Forms
- dudish adjective
- dudishly adverb
Etymology
Origin of dude
An Americanism dating back to 1880–85; origin uncertain
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s name was wrong, and the meme used a picture of some random dude to stand in for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026
There was a lot of figuring out my life in the first two albums — I’m begging for this dude or I’m staying with this guy way too long.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
The company gets good mileage out of Boone’s trademark backflip here, but yeah—goodbye forever, dude!
From Slate • Feb. 8, 2026
"He's a resilient dude and a competitor. A winner," Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald told AFP.
From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026
“He’s Kojak and I’m Kojo. Of course, he’s a bald, old Greek dude and I’m a handsome, young Black dude, but, hey—we both like Tootsie Pops.”
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
