dude

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
6
Words With Friends
7
Letters
4
Pronunciation
/duːd/
See all 4 pronunciations
/duːd/ · [dʉːwd] · /d(j)uːd/ · /ɖ(j)uɖ/

Definition of dude

9 senses · 3 parts of speech · etymology included

noun

  1. (Canada, US, colloquial)A man, generally a younger man.
    “So we were at the mall and these two dudes just walk up to us and say "hi".”
    “A very pretty little dudine of Fifth Avenue is much admired by the dudes in her neighborhood, and it has been observed on several occasions that she appeared to be able to discriminate between them, and not only shows a preference for one dude over another; but is able to recognize the dudes she likes after an interval of separation. It is said, also, that in accepting the attentions of her dude wooers, she shows a peculiar mimicry of the coquettish manners of human girls.”
    “At first Europeans didn't realize what chocolate could be—poor guys! [Christopher] Columbus saw cacao beans in 1503, but he didn't have a clue. (No surprise—dude thought he was in India!)”
    “Though the term "dude" originated as a term to describe a certain type of male, and then later to refer to men in general, today it is often used to refer to both genders, at least in certain parts of the United States. Dudeism doesn't recognize "dude" as a gender-specific word. We consider both women and men who exhibit dude-like qualities to be "dudes," and assert that the word "dude" can mean many different things depending on the context.”
See all 9 definitions

noun

  1. (Canada, US, colloquial)A man, generally a younger man.
    “So we were at the mall and these two dudes just walk up to us and say "hi".”
    “A very pretty little dudine of Fifth Avenue is much admired by the dudes in her neighborhood, and it has been observed on several occasions that she appeared to be able to discriminate between them, and not only shows a preference for one dude over another; but is able to recognize the dudes she likes after an interval of separation. It is said, also, that in accepting the attentions of her dude wooers, she shows a peculiar mimicry of the coquettish manners of human girls.”
    “At first Europeans didn't realize what chocolate could be—poor guys! [Christopher] Columbus saw cacao beans in 1503, but he didn't have a clue. (No surprise—dude thought he was in India!)”
    “Though the term "dude" originated as a term to describe a certain type of male, and then later to refer to men in general, today it is often used to refer to both genders, at least in certain parts of the United States. Dudeism doesn't recognize "dude" as a gender-specific word. We consider both women and men who exhibit dude-like qualities to be "dudes," and assert that the word "dude" can mean many different things depending on the context.”
  2. (colloquial)A term of address for someone, typically a man, particularly when cautioning them or offering advice.
    “Dude, I'd be careful around the principal; he's having a bad day.”
    “Watch it, dude; you almost knocked me over.”
    “The session concluded as Josh, disgusted and surprised, yelled, "Dude, you hit like a girl!" The boys in auto shop drew on images of both femininity—"you hit like a girl"—and bisexuality—"I'll show you a switch hitter." (A bisexual man was often referred to as a "switch hitter" or as someone who "played for both teams.")”
  3. (slang)A tourist.
    “Dudes are at least as entertaining as cows, even when they don't mean to be. A cow can’t voice that honestly curious question that turns a poor cowboy into a laughing fool the way a dude can. Probably nothing in the world can move a cowboy more than a newborn calf's clean, good looks and actions, unless it’s the look of awe on a little dude’s face the first time it sees a cowboy on a horse.”
  4. (derogatory)A birder who has expensive clothing and equipment, but scant knowledge of birds, their fieldmarks, habits, etc.
    “I am forever slagging off some poor harmless dude or pitiful demented twitcher[.]”
  5. (archaic)A man who is very concerned about his dress and appearance; a dandy, a fop.
    “When the dude dons gloves couleur de chien jaune éclairé de la lune—”
    “There are three kinds of dudes in New York. There is the inanimate rich dude who don't want to do a thing on earth but exhibit himself. Then there is the poor dude, who dresses like the rich dude, and who wants to marry a rich girl […]”
    “He is the dandy or dude: the wealthy waster who makes a weak villain for so many American novels. Paul Tarrant seemed to have nothing whatever to do but change his clothes, which he did about six times a day;”

intj

  1. (slang)A term of address, usually for a man, conveying awe, excitement, surprise, annoyance, etc.
    “Dude! You finally called!”
    “And, feckin' A, you ain't never gonna guess this one—dude! […] Thinking this is a little worse than me watching porn. Dude.”

verb

  1. To address someone as dude.
    “"Where you been, Mac? I missed you! Dude—I mean, man," she corrects hastily, with a gamine grin, before I can make good on a threat I made in what feels like another lifetime that I would call her by her full name if she ever "duded" me again. […] Oh, yes, she's upset. She just unapologetically "duded" me.”
    “The other two guys with him burst into laughter, dude'''ing and high-fiving like mad.”
    “After the high fives comes a lot of dude-ing and hugging and I'm-so-happy-to-see-you-ing, and then the sugarcoating of seeing one another again sort of dissolves and we find ourselves in this dinky screening room thing under the eyes of our captors.”
  2. To take a vacation in a dude ranch.
    “The Old Hearst Ranch […] is one of the West's largest and most elaborate dude ranches and includes over 500 acres of woodland trails. There's "dudeing" with all the trimmings, excellent food and rooms at the lodge or individual cabanas.”
    “I am certainly interested in this "dude community" business just because I have tried it in the slightest kind of way. In camping it's "the fewer the better," but in "dudeing" it may be "the more the merrier."”
  3. (US)Usually followed by up: to dress up, to wear smart or special clothes.
    “It seemed that the fellas couldn't get enough girlin' and racing fast cars and grooving to rock and dudeing around in city-slick suits from St. Louis.”
    “"Speaking of being duded out …" He shrugged, then handed her the bag. "Here. This is for you." / She reached inside and gasped as she pulled out a white suede western style hat. A glittering gold braid encircled the brim. / "Oh, Zack! It's beautiful. Thank you."”
    “"Ol' Clint's all duded up, too," Cully announced as Savannah opened the door to the only Culhane she had eyes for. "All duded up" meant Clint had on a pair of gray slacks that no Savile Row tailor could have made fit any better; a crisp, blindingly white Western dress shirt with pearl snaps down the front; and a black string tie held together with a small silver CC […]”
    “1990, Bob Gale & Robert Zemeckis, Back to the Future Part III, screenplay:”
    “Buford Tannen: Especially not some duded-up egg-sucking piece of gutter trash!”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

Uncertain, though likely a clipping of doodle (“fool, simpleton, mindless person”), perhaps with reference to the fashionable “Yankee Doodle dandy” in the 18th-century lyrics of the song “Yankee Doodle”; the…

See full etymology

Uncertain, though likely a clipping of doodle (“fool, simpleton, mindless person”), perhaps with reference to the fashionable “Yankee Doodle dandy” in the 18th-century lyrics of the song “Yankee Doodle”; the word is first attested in 1883 as a New York City slang term of contempt for a “fastidious man, fop”. If so, then related to German Low German Dudeldop, Dudendop (“fool, dunce”), Saterland Frisian Duddigegen (“idiot”). It has also been suggested that the word is derived from dudes (“old rags”; compare duds) and dudesman (“scarecrow”), or possibly related to dawdle; It has also been suggested the word derives from the Irish dúid. The common claim that the term derives from (or is) a word for a camel's foreskin (or some other vulgar thing, like a hair on a cow, horse, donkey, or elephant's bottom) is false.

Words you can make from dude

4 playable · top: DUD (5 pts)

Best play dud 5 points

3-letter words

1 word

2-letter words

2 words

Hooks

2 extensions · 2 back

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