# dudes

/ˈdjudz/ (US) · /djˈuːdz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dudes
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. men or guys

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal · American English · Slang

a casual way to say 'men' or 'guys'.

For teachers: plural form of 'dude', referring to a group of men or boys in a casual context.

- A few dudes were hanging out by the skate park yesterday.
- The local café was filled with dudes in business suits, all grabbing their morning coffee before heading to the office.

### 2. a group of people

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal · American English · Slang

a group of people, including both men and women.

For teachers: a gender-neutral collective noun used to address or refer to a group of people regardless of their gender identity.

- Hey dudes, are we ready to go to the beach?
- She walked into the room and greeted her friends with a casual 'What's up, dudes?', even though the group was mostly women.

Usage: Commonly used as a vocative to address a group directly.

### 3. dressing up

verb · CEFR C2 · Informal · Archaic

to dress in very stylish or fancy clothes.

For teachers: to dress in an especially stylish or flamboyant manner, often used with 'up'.

- He always dudes himself up when he goes to a wedding.
- The young man spent hours duding himself up for the gala, ensuring every detail of his vintage suit was perfect.

Usage: Usually appears as the phrasal verb 'dude up'.

## Examples

- I'm going to the park with some dudes from work.
- The dudes at the skate park were helpful and showed me how to do a kickflip.

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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.