1 lad | Definition of lad

lad

noun
\ ˈlad How to pronounce lad (audio) \

Definition of lad

1 : a male person of any age between early boyhood and maturity : boy, youth
2 : fellow, chap

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Synonyms for lad

Synonyms

boy, boychick (or boychik), boyo [Irish], callant [chiefly Scottish], laddie, nipper, shaveling, shaver, sonny, stripling, tad, youth

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Examples of lad in a Sentence

Life was hard when I was a lad. Well, lad, I hope you won't make the same mistake again! He's a good lad at heart. They can't treat us like that, can they, lads?!
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Recent Examples on the Web

That’s a lot to ask of the lads in the orange helmets. Terry Pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Browns: Finding leaders, the big punter decision, the O-line -- Terry Pluto," 8 Sep. 2019 Unfortunately for him prince was a big star and the lads name was Wayne Qed Purple Wayne — tan97 (@twiceasnice97) August 16, 2019 My brother has a friend named Towbar. Nick Levine, refinery29.com, "Nicola Coughlan From Derry Girls Made The Best Point About Male Nicknames," 24 Aug. 2019 In rooms below: an idle booth, Scotch, a tune by a lad long dead Warm the heart and heal the head — The afterglow of someone’s youth. Lee Oser, National Review, "New London Ferry," 22 Aug. 2019 At the time of writing, Swift had yet to congratulate the Detroit lads on their new platinum status. Lars Brandle, Billboard, "I Prevail's Loud Cover of Taylor Swift's 'Blank Space' Is Now Certified Platinum," 9 Aug. 2019 And yet this big lad can still go from 0 to 100 kilometers per hour (0 to 62 miles per hour) in 4.5 seconds, even on steep grades. Sean O'kane, The Verge, "Formula E’s electric off-road SUV is an absolute unit," 6 July 2019 The lads look ahead to the Fourth of July game against New England Revolution. Mark Goodman, The Denver Post, "Rapids podcast: Fourth of July game, FIFA Women’s World Cup and the future of Conor Casey," 3 July 2019 If the American men's livelihood depended on their World Cup success, the lads would be living under an overpass. Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Paul Daugherty: Like it or not, Megan Rapinoe represents a changing America," 1 July 2019 What a performance from the lads Thank you to the fans for sticking with us! Jordan Culver, Pro Soccer USA, "Young Orlando City star Chris Mueller hungry to get better every day, help Lions win," 25 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of lad

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for lad

Middle English ladde

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More Definitions for lad

lad

noun

English Language Learners Definition of lad

informal
chiefly British : a boy or young man
British : a man with whom you are friendly

lad

noun
\ ˈlad How to pronounce lad (audio) \

Kids Definition of lad

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More from Merriam-Webster on lad

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with lad

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lad

Spanish Central: Translation of lad

Nglish: Translation of lad for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of lad for Arabic Speakers