What does "bun" mean?
Senses referring to baked goods.; A small bread roll that is sweetened or spiced.
Bun
/bʌn/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Senses referring to baked goods.; A small bread roll that is sweetened or spiced.
- Grammar: bun is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: roll, bagel, beginner, bialy.
- Useful contrasts: loaf, ponytail.
- Usage evidence: The next day at the newspaper office he drew a bun which contained a dachshund inside - not a dachshund sausage, but a dachshund.
How to use "bun"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bun" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bun" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bun" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bun" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bun" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "roll" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bun", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Senses referring to baked goods.; A small bread roll that is sweetened or spiced.
- 2 Clipping of bunny (“rabbit”). abbreviation, alt-of, childish, clipping, colloquial
"She brought home two new buns to join the menagerie!"
- 3 marijuana cigarette, joint Caribbean, Multicultural-London-English, slang
"Man say that they spray the fire I fuck that shit, I drop the bun"
- 4 A Korean unit of length equivalent to about 0.3 cm.
- 5 Initialism of blood urea nitrogen. abbreviation, alt-of, initialism, uncountable
Show 14 more definitions
- 6 small rounded bread either plain or sweet wordnet
- 7 Senses referring to baked goods.; A bread roll that is served with a savoury filling such as a hamburger or hot dog.
- 8 A bunny: a rabbit. archaic, dialectal
- 9 Senses referring to baked goods.; Any bread roll. Northern-England, Northumbria, especially
- 10 A squirrel. archaic, dialectal
- 11 Senses referring to baked goods.; A cupcake. Ireland, Northern-England
- 12 The scut or tail of a hare. archaic, dialectal
- 13 A roll of hair worn at the back of the head.
"loose bun; messy bun; tight bun"
- 14 A dry stalk. archaic, dialectal
- 15 A drunken spree. British, slang
- 16 A newbie. Internet
- 17 A young girl or woman. slang
- 18 A buttock. Canada, US, in-plural, slang
"nice buns; tight buns"
- 19 The vagina. slang
"How 'bout I put my hot dog in your bun?"
Verb
- 1 To form (the hair) into a bun. transitive
"Bunning her hair, she left her childhood bedroom for the hall."
- 2 To smoke cannabis. Caribbean, slang
- 3 To shoot. Multicultural-London-English, slang
"2004, MC Forcer, guest on Lethal Bizzle, "Pow!" Don't care about your crew, bun them any day"
- 4 To forget. Multicultural-London-English, slang
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname from Khmer.
Example
"The next day at the newspaper office he drew a bun which contained a dachshund inside - not a dachshund sausage, but a dachshund."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bun"?
Common synonyms include: roll, bagel, beginner, bialy, bialystoker, bind.
How do you use "bun" in a sentence?
The next day at the newspaper office he drew a bun which contained a dachshund inside - not a dachshund sausage, but a dachshund.
How do you pronounce "bun"?
Pronounced /bʌn/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bunne (“wheat cake, bun”), from Anglo-Norman bugne (“bump on the head; fritter”), from Old French bugne (hence French beignet), from Frankish *bungjo (“little clump”), diminutive of *bungu (“lump, clump”), from Proto-Germanic *bungô, *bunkô (“clump, lump, heap, crowd”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰenǵʰ- (“thick, dense, fat”). Cognate with Dutch bonk (“clump, clot, cluster of fruits”). More at bunch.
Etymology 2
Probably from Scots bun (“tail of a rabbit or hare”), which is probably from Scottish Gaelic bun (“bottom, butt, stump, stub”).
Etymology 3
Caribbean pronunciation of burn.
Etymology 4
From the Revised Romanization of Korean 분 (bun), from Chinese 分 (fèn, “fen”). Doublet of fen.
Etymology 5
Derived from Khmer ប៉ុន (pon).