What Is 'Blud?' The British Slang Term Explained

The people of the internet are always looking for funny new ways to address each other for the lulz. Over the years, we've seen bro, king and even daddy come and go as the dominant way to address your pals and partners. When it comes to British People, however, blud seems to be on the rise as the newest way to say "bro" without saying bro. Here's what you need to know.

Where Did "Blud" Come From?

The word "blud" is a Jamaican slang term used to address men that essentially means "bro." It's purportedly derived from the term "blood brothers" and a derivative of the similar term "bredren," a phonetic spelling of the word "brethren" as if spoken in a Jamaican accent. While blud began among Jamaican people, purportedly as a swear word, it was adopted by people in the U.K. as an alternative to "mate."

Blud was defined on Urban Dictionary as early as 2003 and has been defined several times since. It's been used in casual conversation in person and online throughout the 2000s and has gradually increased in online use throughout the late 2010s and 2020s. Sometimes it's misspelled as "blood" by the uninitiated since they're both pronounced the same way.

"Blud" Usage In Memes

Blud is used in memes in the same way as comparable words like bro and fam. It's often written into a meme's caption as a way to address the person or character shown in a funnier way than simply saying their name or using the word "bro" yet again.

One series of memes uses the phrase "who invited my man blud" as a caption, followed by a photo of a group of people and a red circle around "blud," meant to portray the person as out-of-place. Basically, it's used to address someone in a non-descript way without saying their name to add a little extra British spice to your meme.

Where Can I Use "Blud?"

You can use blud just about anywhere you want online, whether it's a TikTok comment section or a tweet. It's regularly used in image macro captions to give memes a little shake-up from the regular "bro," so feel free to use it in any meme you see fit, particularly if the content has a British tinge to it. If you're from the U.K., it might be a natural part of your parlance anyway, but even if you're not, don't shy away from using blud to spice up your memes.

How Do You Use Blud In A Sentence?

• “Who invited blud?"
• "What's up blud?"
• “Look at blud over there waffling."

For the full history of blud, be sure to check out our entry on the slang term here for even more information.