buddy up

verb

To form small teams, especially pairs, often to reduce the likelihood of any one person suffering harm without being noticed or to suit the nature of a task to be accomplished

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Meanings

verbbuddy up (third-person singular simple present buddies up, present participle buddying up, simple past and past participle buddied up)

present singular third person buddies up · participle present buddying up · participle past buddied up · past buddied up

  1. informalintransitiveTo form small teams, especially pairs, often to reduce the likelihood of any one person suffering harm without being noticed or to suit the nature of a task to be accomplished
  2. To ally with, team up with, cooperate with.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
bud uppal up

Translations

Polish kumać się, skumać się
  • kumać sięto become friends
  • skumać sięto become friends
Cite this entry
APA

buddy up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buddy%20up

MLA

“buddy up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buddy%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “buddy up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/buddy%20up.

Source: buddy up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.