TOP

Definition of bud noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

bud

noun
 
/bʌd/
 
/bʌd/
Idioms
jump to other results
  1. a small closed part that grows on a plant and from which a flower, leaf or stem develops; a flower or leaf that is not fully open
    • the first buds appearing in spring
    • in bud The tree is in bud already.
    Collocations The living worldThe living worldAnimals
    • animals mate/​breed/​reproduce/​feed (on something)
    • fish/​amphibians swim/​spawn (= lay eggs)
    • birds fly/​migrate/​nest/​sing
    • insects crawl/​fly/​bite/​sting
    • insects/​bees/​locusts swarm
    • bees collect/​gather nectar/​pollen
    • spiders spin/​weave a web
    • snakes/​lizards shed their skins
    • bears/​hedgehogs/​frogs hibernate
    • insect larvae grow/​develop/​pupate
    • an egg/​a chick/​a larva hatches
    • attract/​find/​choose a mate
    • produce/​release eggs/​sperm
    • lay/​fertilize/​incubate/​hatch eggs
    • inhabit a forest/​a reef/​the coast
    • mark/​enter/​defend (a) territory
    • stalk/​hunt/​capture/​catch/​kill prey
    Plants and fungi
    • trees/​plants grow/​bloom/​blossom/​flower
    • a seed germinates/​sprouts
    • leaves/​buds/​roots/​shoots appear/​develop/​form
    • flower buds swell/​open
    • a fungus grows/​spreads/​colonizes something
    • pollinate/​fertilize a flower/​plant
    • produce/​release/​spread/​disperse pollen/​seeds/​spores
    • produce/​bear fruit
    • develop/​grow/​form roots/​shoots/​leaves
    • provide/​supply/​absorb/​extract/​release nutrients
    • perform/​increase/​reduce photosynthesis
    Bacteria and viruses
    • bacteria/​microbes/​viruses grow/​spread/​multiply
    • bacteria/​microbes live/​thrive in/​on something
    • bacteria/​microbes/​viruses evolve/​colonize something/​cause disease
    • bacteria break something down/​convert something (into something)
    • a virus enters/​invades something/​the body
    • a virus mutates/​evolves/​replicates (itself)
    • be infected with/​contaminated with/​exposed to a new strain of a virus/​drug-resistant bacteria
    • contain/​carry/​harbour bacteria/​a virus
    • kill/​destroy/​eliminate harmful/​deadly bacteria
    Topics Plants and treesc1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • flower
    • leaf
    • rose
    bud + verb
    • appear
    • burst
    • open
    phrases
    • in bud
    See full entry
  2. (also buddy)
    (North American English, informal) used to speak to a man you do not know
    • Listen, bud, enough of the wisecracks, OK?
  3. see also cotton bud, rosebud, taste bud
    Word Originnoun sense 1 late Middle English: of unknown origin. noun sense 2 mid19th cent.: abbreviation of buddy.
Idioms
nip something in the bud
  1. to stop something when it has just begun because you can see that problems will come from it
See bud in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee bud in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
hopefully
adverb
 
 
From the Word list
OPAL spoken words
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day