buddy
part of speech
noun (a buddy, buddies); verb (buddy up, buddies up, buddied up, buddying up)
meaning for a pupil
1) A buddy (informal) is a friend or partner. tree →
2) A buddy is a partner you are paired with to help and look after each other, as in a buddy system at school or when swimming. tree →
3) To buddy up is to pair up with someone as partners. tree →
sense in the lessons
In school and safety: a reading buddy is an older pupil who reads with a younger one; a «buddy bench» in the playground is where children sit if they want someone to play with; in swimming, hiking and school trips the «buddy system» means each child keeps an eye on a partner, so nobody gets lost. Mostly American and Australian; British English often says «mate» or «friend». Phrases: «best buddy», «reading buddy», «buddy system», «buddy bench», «buddy up with».
examples
- Max is my best buddy. tree →
- On the school trip, stay with your buddy. tree →
- My reading buddy is in Year Six. tree →
- If you're lonely, sit on the buddy bench. tree →
- We buddied up for the science experiment. tree →
- Divers always swim with a buddy. tree →
- Hey, buddy, can you help me? tree →
- Count your buddies before you leave the pool. tree →
note
Plural buddies (y → ies). Informal, so in formal writing use «friend» or «partner». «Hey, buddy» is friendly, though it can sound annoyed in some tones. Do not confuse with «body».
In the corpora
- Other children often feel lonely at break time too, and a buddy bench or club can help.
- Many schools have buddies to help new pupils find their way.
- On a trip you stay with your buddy all day and tell the teacher if you get separated.
- Children who leave their group on trips get lost quickly in crowds, so you stay with your group and your buddy.
- «Your WiFi worked fine for the games, buddy.»
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «buddy» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.