ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bun

n. · v.
US //ˈbən// UK //bˈʌn// bun
  1. 1 bread roll (n.)
    A2 Elementary Cooking

    a small, round piece of bread, often used for burgers or sandwiches.

    a small, typically round bread roll, often sweetened or used as a vessel for savoury fillings like burgers.

    Example

    He placed the grilled burger on a toasted sesame bun.

    Example

    The bakery specialises in artisanal brioche buns, which provide a rich and buttery base for their signature sandwiches.
  2. 2 sweet cake (n.)
    B1 Intermediate British English Cooking

    a small, sweet cake, sometimes containing fruit or topped with icing.

    a small sweet cake or bread, frequently containing dried fruit or spices.

    Example

    We had tea and a sticky cinnamon bun at the café.

    Example

    In many British households, toasted currant buns are a traditional accompaniment to afternoon tea during the winter months.
Show 4 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 hairstyle (n.)
    B1 Intermediate

    hair pulled back and fastened into a round shape at the back of the head.

    a hairstyle in which the hair is drawn back and coiled into a tight, rounded mass.

    Example

    She tied her long hair into a neat bun before the ballet class.

    Example

    The professional dress code required employees to keep their hair in a conservative bun or a similar tidy arrangement.
  2. 4 buttocks (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate American English Informal Slang

    a slang word for the buttocks.

    a slang term for the buttocks, almost exclusively used in the plural form.

    Example

    He spent all day at the gym working on his buns.

    Example

    The fitness instructor promised that these specific squats would help tone the participants' buns within a few weeks.
  3. 5 rabbit (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Informal

    a cute or childish name for a rabbit.

    a hypocoristic or childish shortening of 'bunny', referring to a rabbit.

    Example

    The little bun hopped across the garden and hid under a bush.

    Example

    The children were delighted to see a tiny bun nibbling on the clover in the backyard.
  4. 6 to style hair (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to pull your hair back into a round bun shape.

    to arrange or fasten the hair into a bun.

    Example

    She bunned her hair quickly so she could start her workout.

    Example

    After washing her hair, she bunned it loosely to keep it out of her face while she applied her makeup.
Etymology 1

From Middle English bunne (“wheat cake, bun”), from Anglo-Norman bugne (“bump on the head; fritter”), from Old French bugne (hence French beignet), from Frankish bungjo (“little clump”), diminutive of bungu (“lump, clump”), from Proto-Germanic bungô, bunkô (“clump, lump, heap, crowd”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰenǵʰ- (“thick, dense, fat”). Cognate with Dutch bonk (“clump, clot, cluster of fruits”). More at bunch.

Etymology 2

Probably from Scots bun (“tail of a rabbit or hare”), which is probably from Scottish Gaelic bun (“bottom, butt, stump, stub”).

Etymology 3

Caribbean pronunciation of burn.

Etymology 4

From the Revised Romanization of Korean 분 (bun), from Chinese 分 (fèn, “fen”). Doublet of fen.

Word family
Idioms2 entries

© 2026 English Reference