guy
noun
a man or boy; fellow.
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guy
1 American
[gahy]
/ gaɪ /
noun
-
Informal. a man or boy; fellow.
He's a nice guy.
-
Informal. none guys people, regardless of their gender.
Could one of you guys help me with this?
-
Chiefly British Slang. a grotesquely dressed person.
-
British. Often Guy a grotesque effigy of Guy Fawkes that is paraded through the streets and burned on Guy Fawkes Day.
verb (used with object)
guyed,
guying
idioms
guy
2
American
[gahy]
/ gaɪ /
noun
verb (used with object)
guyed,
guying
Guy
3
American
[gahy, gee]
/ gaɪ, gi /
noun
guy
1
British
/ ɡaɪ /
noun
-
informal a man or youth
-
a crude effigy of Guy Fawkes, usually made of old clothes stuffed with straw or rags, that is burnt on top of a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day
-
a person in shabby or ludicrously odd clothes
-
informal (plural) persons of either sex
verb
guy
2
British
/ ɡaɪ /
noun
verb
Guy
3
British
/ ɡaɪ /
noun
GUY
4
British
abbreviation
Etymology
Origin of guy1
First recorded in 1800–10; after Guy Fawkes
Origin of guy2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English gi(e), from Old French guie “a guide,” derivative of guier to guide
Explanation
A guy is a dude, a boy, a man, or really anybody. It's an informal way to refer to a person, especially a male. But a group of people can be guys, even if they’re all female. Hey guys! Another meaning of guy comes from a guy rope, which is basically a rope that supports something like a tent to a pole. What a guy! So to guy means “to support” or “tie to” and not just physically. It’s almost like a “guide” which comes from Old French guie, and ultimately from a Germanic root. The sense attributed to a person or a fellow comes from two sources: a French proper name for a male (related to Guido in Italian) and Guy Fawkes, who famously plotted to blow up Parliament in 1605 and is still burned in effigy yearly on the British Guy Fawkes Day.
Vocabulary lists containing guy
First-Name Basis: Words That Are Also Names
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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:
“When one of their pitchers faltered, the next guy came in and picked up the slack.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
I also sort of liked the kind of mumbling charisma that he had for a while, because he seemed like very much a regular guy.
From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026
“Catching one guy means there are half a dozen out there,” said Randy Watt, president of leadership consulting firm SRW, which conducts security and threat assessments for companies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
But if a cute little A.I. guy messes up, well, how could you be mad at him?
From Slate ● Oct. 14, 2026
The guy behind the counter sighs, drumming his fingers on the register.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
On the first day of its Music Live Auction on Thursday, the highest-selling lot was a notebook by the Queen frontman which contained handwritten working lyrics and notes from the Mr. Bad Guy recording sessions.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
Swiss President Guy Parmelin announced Friday that he will quit the government at the end of the year, in a sudden move after more than a decade of ministerial service.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
For the record, Guy is a physically fit woman in her 60s who has not undergone cosmetic surgery, whom many women would kill to look like.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
If I want a really good steak, I’ll go to the Nice Guy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
My father occasionally referred to me as "Smart Guy," but eventually I realized that when saying it, he usually meant just the opposite.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
“Is this THE GUY who was supposed to give us the $2 million or is this his relative?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2022
GO-TO GUY: In recent years, Sanders was the go-to guy.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 25, 2018
Kobe Bryant: Has a profile but it was definitely written by a fan: The phrase "GUY CODE" is used.
From Time ● Jul. 11, 2011
"AWESOME GUY" Born in McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, Kasich rose to prominence on the national political stage when he used his role as chairman of the House Budget Committee to help balance the federal budget.
From Reuters ● Aug. 12, 2010
The Volumes now ready are— GUY CARLTON—A Boy who belonged to the “Try Company.”
From Jessie Carlton The Story of a Girl who Fought with Little Impulse, the Wizard, and Conquered Him by Daniel Wise
Certainly, political and religious leaders, the rich and powerful are mercilessly guyed, but this is surely the mot juste, because the disjunction between these effigies and the people they represent is understood by all.
From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2015
It's as if they think they have to imitate someone other than themselves, to summon up a pretend, all-purpose actress who can be guyed.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 15, 2013
The tubes were guyed to earth at each end and inflated; they rose in arches.
From Time Magazine Archive
Old folkies will spot the genres being guyed.
From Time Magazine Archive
The cadets, who were out for fun by this time and angry besides, guyed the unpopular "tac" with a vengeance.
From On Guard Mark Mallory's Celebration by Upton Sinclair
Waters' hole card is Johnny Depp, the winsome tough from TV's 21 Jump Street, who radiates big- screen grace and swagger as Cry-Baby -- no easy trick, since he is guying his own image.
From Time Magazine Archive
Best shot—the prefects guying Woodley about his love-affair.
From Time Magazine Archive
One thinks of Rowlandson as purely English, because of his devotion to the English scene and his delight in guying the manners and affectations of the French.
From Time Magazine Archive
The cumulative effect of its guying would not nettle even the income tax bureau, for Funnyman Cantor pokes lightly at an array of straw men.
From Time Magazine Archive
For a moment I thought he was guying us, but a glance at his eyes told me that he was in deadly earnest.
From Adventures in Swaziland The Story of a South African Boer by Owen Rowe O'Neil
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
