guy

[ gahy ]

/ gaɪ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR guy ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Informal. a man or boy; fellow: He's a nice guy.

Usually guys. Informal. persons of either sex; people: Could one of you guys help me with this?

Chiefly British Slang. a grotesquely dressed person.

(often initial capital letter) British. a grotesque effigy of Guy Fawkes that is paraded through the streets and burned on Guy Fawkes Day.

verb (used with object), guyed, guy·ing.

to jeer at or make fun of; ridicule.

Nearby words

gutturalize, gutturalized, gutturonasal, gutty, guv, guy, guy fawkes day, guy friday, guyana, guyanese, guyenne

Idioms

give the guy to, British Slang. to escape from (someone); give (someone) the slip.

Origin of guy

First recorded in 1800–10; after Guy Fawkes

Can be confused

guise guys

Definition for guy (2 of 3)

guy

[ gahy ]

/ gaɪ /

noun

a rope, cable, or appliance used to guide and steady an object being hoisted or lowered, or to secure anything likely to shift its position.

verb (used with object), guyed, guy·ing.

to guide, steady, or secure with a guy or guys.

Origin of guy

1300–50; Middle English gye < Old French guie a guide, derivative of guier to guide

Definition for guy (3 of 3)

Guy

[ gahy; French gee ]

/ gaɪ; French gi /

noun

a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “woods.”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for guy

And we have a lot of great guests this season: Greta Gerwig, Natasha Lyonne, Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi is back—I love that guy.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“We saw his background and he was a Bronx guy and we started breaking the case,” Boyce says.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
You were basically the guy to do every dictator or crazy character, from Gaddafi and Ahmadinejad to Bin Laden.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This is a guy who has his son-in-law clean his eyeglasses, for crying out loud.
Will Chris Christie Regret His Cowboy Hug?|Matt Lewis|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

This was a guy from the hip-hop generation and with a perspective that was inextricably linked to that generation.
Remembering ESPN’s Sly, Cocky, and Cool Anchor Stuart Scott|Stereo Williams|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Say, Joe,” he said, “mebbe this guy ken put us wise to things.
The Twins of Suffering Creek|Ridgwell Cullum
Mrs. Guy Flouncey invited all the young dancing lords to dinner.
Tancred|Benjamin Disraeli
Even before I had finished speaking, my companions were tugging wildly at the guy ropes, and loosening the wall pegs of the tent.
In Search of El Dorado|Alexander MacDonald
Guy shrugged his shoulders as if he considered the matter perfectly ridiculous.
His Excellency the Minister|Jules Claretie
You see, there was a guy in the crowd—or had been, rather, whose wife didn't want him to gamble.
The Forged Note|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for guy (1 of 4)

guy

/ (ɡaɪ) /

noun

informal a man or youth

British 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

British a person in shabby or ludicrously odd clothes

(plural) informal persons of either sex

verb

(tr) to make fun of; ridicule

Word Origin for guy

C19: short for Guy Fawkes

British Dictionary definitions for guy (2 of 4)

guy

/ (ɡaɪ) /

noun

a rope, chain, wire, etc, for anchoring an object, such as a radio mast, in position or for steadying or guiding it while being hoisted or lowered

verb

(tr) to anchor, steady, or guide with a guy or guys

Word Origin for guy

C14: probably from Low German; compare Dutch gei brail, geiblok pulley, Old French guie guide, from guier to guide

British Dictionary definitions for guy (3 of 4)

Guy

/ (ɡaɪ) /

noun

Buddy, real name George Guy. born 1936, US blues singer and guitarist

British Dictionary definitions for guy (4 of 4)

GUY

abbreviation for

Guyana (international car registration)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012