# bud

/ˈbəd/ (US) · /bˈʌd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bud
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. plant part

noun · CEFR B1

a small part on a plant that opens up to become a leaf or a flower.

For teachers: an undeveloped or embryonic shoot, leaf, or flower, typically protected by scales.

- In early spring, the apple trees are covered in tiny green buds.
- The frost arrived unexpectedly, damaging the delicate buds before they had the chance to blossom into full flowers.

### 2. friend

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal · American English

a friendly way to address a male friend or a boy.

For teachers: an informal term of address or reference for a male friend; a shortened form of 'buddy'.

- Hey bud, do you want to go to the park later?
- He greeted his old college bud with a firm handshake and a laugh, despite not having seen him for nearly a decade.

### 3. cannabis

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang · Informal

the dried flowers of the cannabis plant.

For teachers: the potent, flowering part of the cannabis plant, often used as a collective noun for the drug itself.

- The police found a small amount of bud in the suspect's car.
- The legalization of recreational cannabis has led to a significant increase in the variety of high-quality bud available in local dispensaries.

### 4. to grow buds

verb · CEFR B2

when a plant starts to produce small parts that will become leaves or flowers.

For teachers: to produce or develop buds; to begin to grow or issue from a stock.

- The rose bushes are starting to bud now that the weather is warmer.
- As the season turned, the ancient oaks began to bud, signaling the definitive end of the long winter dormancy.

### 5. to develop

verb · CEFR B2

to start to grow or become successful.

For teachers: to begin to develop or show promise; often used in the participial form 'budding'.

- She is a budding artist who spends all her free time painting.
- The local community center provides a safe space for budding musicians to practice and perform their original compositions.

## Examples

- The rose bushes are starting to show their first buds.
- Gardeners should wait for the first buds to appear before they start pruning the shrubs for the season.
- The premature warmth of early March coaxed the cherry blossoms into bud, leaving them vulnerable to the sudden frost that followed a week later.

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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.