bud

 

From a bud on plants, bushes, and trees come flowers and leaves. This word is a noun.

buds These are buds.

  • Leaf buds in early spring become leaves.
  • Flower buds become flowers.
  • Lilacs usually put out buds in April.
  • One way to control the growth of a plant is to remove the buds.

Some friends call each other "bud." This is a shortened form of the word buddy.

  • I’m going out with my buds this weekend.
  • Javier and Tony are the best of buds.
  • Hey, bud. How’s it going?

When "bud" is used as a verb or an adjective, it means that something is slowly emerging or starting out.

  • The apple trees are budding.
  • Tomato plants bud throughout the summer.
  • He’s a budding guitarist. (This sentence uses "budding" as an adjective. It means he’s just starting but he shows a lot of potential.)

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This page was first published on May 27, 2012. It was updated on May 2, 2015.