# bruh

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bruh
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. disbelief or annoyance

interjection · CEFR B2 · Slang · Informal

you say this when someone does something stupid or when you are very surprised by a bad situation.

For teachers: an utterance used to express exasperation, incredulity, or disappointment at a peer's actions or a specific situation.

- Bruh, you really forgot your keys in the car again?
- Bruh, I cannot believe the professor assigned a ten-page paper over the holiday weekend without any prior warning.

Usage: Typically used as a standalone exclamation or at the beginning of a sentence.

Teaching tip: While originally masculine, it is now often used gender-neutrally among younger speakers, though it remains highly informal.

### 2. a male friend

noun · CEFR B2 · Slang · Informal · American English

a casual way to address a male friend.

For teachers: a colloquial variant of 'bro' or 'brother' used as a term of address for a male peer.

- What is up, bruh? I haven't seen you all week.
- He greeted his childhood friend with a casual 'What's good, bruh?' before they headed into the stadium.

Usage: Used as a vocative to address someone directly.

Teaching tip: This form is specifically associated with African American Vernacular English (AAVE) origins but has been widely adopted in global internet slang.

## Examples

- Bruh, you really forgot your keys again?
- When he saw the ridiculous price of the plain white t-shirt, he just muttered 'bruh' and walked out.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.