costaud
/kɔs.to/
The French word for buff is costaud.
If you are looking for a verb meaning to buff or polish an object, you should use polir instead.
Meaning: to polish and make shiny (verb)
Which one should you use?
You can also use the informal expressions Bien baraqué(e) or Bien musclé(e) to specifically convey that someone is well-built or well-muscled.
How does it change in a sentence?
costaud is an adjective that must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies. Use costaud for masculine singular nouns, costaude for feminine singular nouns, costauds for masculine plural nouns and costaudes for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables and is pronounced /kɔs.to/.
Did you know?
- While costaud refers to being buff or sturdy, the word baraqué comes from the word for a 'shack' or 'hut', suggesting a person built like a solid structure.
- In French, costaud can describe a person's physical build or be used to describe a 'tough' or 'difficult' task, such as un morceau costaud.
- The word costaud literally refers to a person having strong 'sides', stemming from the word côte.
Examples in context
- Il est muscléHe is buff
- Elle est muscléeShe is buff
- Jean est vraiment musclé, il passe beaucoup de temps à la salle de sport.Jean is really buff, he spends a lot of time at the gym.
- Marie est bien baraquée, elle fait de la musculation depuis des années.Marie is buff, she has been weightlifting for years.
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are cleaning an old piece of furniture.
- LéaLucas, peux-tu costaud le bois ici ?Lucas, can you buff the wood here?
- LucasOui, je vais costaud toute la surface.Yes, I will buff the whole surface.
- LéaMerci, ça va être très brillant.Thanks, it is going to be very shiny.
- LucasC'est presque fini, regarde !It is almost finished, look!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry costaud, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries costaud, CC BY-SA 4.0.
