fella

[fel-uh]

noun

Informal.

1. fellow.

fella

/ ˈfɛlə /

noun

1. a nonstandard variant of fellow

Word History and Origins

Origin of fella¹

feller ¹

Example Sentences

They employ quite a few mustangs at their guest ranch operation in the town of Bridgeport, including Jethro, a friendly brown fella with a splash of white on his forehead.

From Los Angeles Times

He continued: "My life has been turned upside down by these boys, young fellas, who went out on the street looking for somebody to kill. Unfortunately, Stephen was in their sight."

From BBC

Mr McDonagh said: "We heard through friends a little bit before it went out on social, all of us at the club are very, very upset about it, he was a great fella."

From BBC

Hint to Hollywood: There’s this fella named Dean Cain just ready to be cast in that role.

From Los Angeles Times

“Two women came in and said they saw a young fella, with a skull on a stick,” she recounted.

From BBC

When To Use

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.