fella
Americannoun
-
fellas
plural
noun
Usage
What does fella mean? Fella is a very informal way of saying fellow—a general term for a man or boy. Fella can be used as an informal term of address similar to terms like dude, buddy, or pal, as in Hey, fella, what’s new with you? In this way, it’s perhaps most commonly used to refer to or address a male animal, especially a pet, as in Hey, little fella, you’re the cutest!It can also be used by a man to refer to himself, as in Where can a fella find a hot meal around here?Most senses of fella (and fellow) sound old-timey and aren’t commonly used (other than to sound old-timey). However, the plural form, fellas, is somewhat commonly used, especially by men or boys as an informal and familiar way to refer to their male friends (the fellas) or as a way to address them, in much the same way as the term guys. Fella is also used in the informal phrase big fella, referring to a particularly large man or object, as in He’s a big fella, ain’t he?Example: Jen’s having a night out with the ladies, so I’m going to stay here and hang with the fellas.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of fella
cf. feller 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Mark Zuckerberg named mine “Dash,” and whenever I open Muse, the cute little fella blinks at me as he swivels his necklike body part from right to left.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
I'm driving a car, sitting beside a young fella who was going to be going across to play for Everton.
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
“Maybe it don’t seem to make sense for a fella to be doing things for a reason that he don’t know about,” Nick says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 2, 2026
I met him a few times off the pitch, lovely fella, but on the pitch he was nasty.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2026
“I hear like the fella talks about it don’t never do it.”
From "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck
These little fellas represent a departure from all of that: cuddly digital pals whose highest calling is to help you reclaim some of your time.
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
Say, fellas, look, we’re all friends here, amirite?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Any event that the three fellas host is a very warm, loving and just come-as-you-are kind of experience. It’s so great and they just want everyone to have a good time.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2024
Stylist Mark Heyes, who helped to pick out their suits for the big day, called the couple "two of the most lovely fellas I've ever met".
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 2024
Vondie and the rest of the fellas laugh like hyenas.
From "The Crossover" by Kwame Alexander
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
