lad
noun
a boy or youth.
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lad
1 American
[lad]
/ læd /
noun
-
lads
plural
-
a boy or youth.
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Informal. a familiar or affectionate term of address for a man; chap.
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British Horseracing Informal. a stable boy.
LAD
2
American
abbreviation
Psycholinguistics.
lad
British
/ læd /
noun
-
a boy or young man
-
informal a familiar form of address for any male
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a lively or dashing man or youth (esp in the phrase a bit of a lad )
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a young man whose behaviour is characteristic of male adolescents, esp in being rowdy, macho, or immature
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a boy or man who looks after horses
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of lad
1250–1300; Middle English ladde < ?; compare late Old English Ladda (nickname)
Explanation
Lad is another word for a boy or a young man. A man who's been hit with a water balloon might turn around to a group of giggling boys and ask, "All right, which of you lads did that?" You can use the casual lad instead of guy, fellow, or chap. This word is much more common in Britain than in the U.S., although everyone understands what it means. Someone in London might talk about going out on the town with "the lads," while in Boston people are more likely to say they're meeting "the guys." Lad, originally spelled ladde, first meant "foot soldier," or "young servant."
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:
While the press focuses on celebrity award winners, Lawrence says he was glad to showcase people like Michael Akers a "young lad with a disability... who set up a charity advocating for other children".
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
“It’s a ballad for the real lad, an acceptable point where men can show a bit of emotion.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Paul Coutts, a ball playing midfielder and joker of Wilder's dressing room described Wright as an "unassuming lad" with a "dry sense of humour".
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
"Elliot was quiet, self-effacing lad at school," says Roys.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
“He wouldn’t tell. It’s all in the book, he said. ‘Read it for yourself, Simon, lad!’
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
By being in the environment, hearing the language and most important, understanding the language, somehow or other something kicks in in the brain called the LAD — the language acquisition device.
From Salon ● Jan. 11, 2023
Dr. McCormack later told me a heart attack that occurs when the LAD is completely or almost completely blocked is commonly known as the widowmaker.
From Fox News ● Aug. 23, 2021
CHIEFTAIN'S LAD angled in and chased between horses then off the rail, split rivals on the turn and into the stretch and did not rally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2019
He paid tribute to hospital staff who diagnosed a blocked LAD artery - the main artery running down the front of the heart.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2018
LAD, s. a sweetheart LADDIE, s. a boy, or young man.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIV. by Alexander Leighton
The Sun also leads on the tributes at Old Trafford and commends PC Blades's sons as "brave lads".
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
"How come these lads can do that in my seat here when we can't do that at an Everton home game?"
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
"It can't be done differently, it can't. Our lads need to be replaced. But nobody volunteers," he says.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
"There's only one No 10" declares the Star, calling on England to "back Jude and the lads" in the semi-final on Wednesday.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
Franklyn Flowers offered to take the prince around the camp and introduce him to some of what he called the lads.
From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin
Definitions 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.
