What does bod mean?
Bod is an informal noun used chiefly to mean a person, often with a breezy, dismissive, or affectionate tone. When Britons say 'any old bod' they mean anyone at all — no particular individual, just some ordinary person off the street. The word also has a second sense referring to a human body, most familiar from fitness culture, where phrases like 'getting your bod into shape' playfully treat the physique as a project. The word is distinctly colloquial: it belongs in conversation, journalism, and casual writing rather than formal prose, and it carries no strong connotation beyond its lightness — it can be neutral, jocular, or mildly derogatory depending on delivery. More at home in British English than American, though understood widely, bod is a handy shorthand when you want to refer to a person without naming them, dignifying them, or taking them too seriously.
nounA person, especially an ordinary one; in informal usage, 'some bod' means any unspecified individual.
- A person, typically an ordinary or unspecified individual (informal).
- A human body, especially in the context of physical form or, historically, a corpse.
"The office was full of bods tapping away at their keyboards."
"Any old bod can sign up for the course — no experience needed."
"He spent the summer getting his bod into shape for the marathon."
The plural 'bods' refers to multiple people or bodies and is standard in informal speech.
"The gym was packed with bods working off the holiday excess."
In British slang, 'bod' can mean either a whole person or just a body — and nobody's entirely sure which came first.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of bod
The origins of bod are genuinely murky, which is unusual for such a common word. Most authorities believe it arose as a casual shortening of 'body', with the person-sense developing naturally once the abbreviation took hold; others have suggested connections to older slang terms for people. It appears to have established itself in English slang by the nineteenth century, and its use for both 'person' and 'physique' persists today, keeping its etymology usefully ambiguous.
How bod is actually used
Informal and colloquial, more common in British than American English. In the sense of 'a body', it carries a casual, sometimes jokey tone about physique. Avoid in formal writing.
Easily confused with bod
'Bode' is a verb meaning to portend or foretell ('this bodes well'), whereas 'bod' is a noun meaning a person.