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:
"He was a great wee fella, very thoughtful but also full of fun and he just loved the craic," his mum Denise recalls.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
At one stop the driver’s door powered into an old Mazda truck parked next to me—sorry, fella.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 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
“Here. Give this here to that fella there, at the end of the line,” he says, pressing a ticket into my free hand.
From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
She added: "I love all the groups of girls all coming down together and the fellas all in groups."
From BBC ● Jan. 23, 2026
“A few of the fellas in the bullpen reached out during the series,” Cartoon said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2024
Can't believe what I'm reading... in an industry full of Ego you were hands down one of the nicest fellas we ever met along the way.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2024
“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
I'm so hungry right now all I can think of is taking out the belly wrinkles, as the fellas say.
From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool
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.
