guy¹

[gahy]

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.

Idioms

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

Origin of guy¹

First recorded in 1800–10; after Guy Fawkes

Can be confusedguise guys

guy²

[gahy]

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 guy²

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

Guy

[gahy; French gee]

noun

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for guy

Contemporary Examples

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
“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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

So's the other one—the guy as has got the mun; he's got a bank full of it.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
To ensure rigidity the rudder must be stayed with guy wires.
Flying Machines
W.J. Jackman and Thos. H. Russell
It is Guy of Gisbourne, and thou mayst have heard it before.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
Howard Pyle
This was carried by my fourth son on the fifth of November, when he was a Guy Fawkes.'
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
Guy suggested as a joke that she charge the makers a commission.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various

British Dictionary definitions for guy

guy¹

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

C19: short for Guy Fawkes

guy²

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

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

Guy

noun

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

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

Word Origin and History for guy

n.1

"rope, chain, wire," mid-14c., "leader," from Old French guie "a guide," from guier (see guide (v.)); or from a similar word in North Sea Germanic. The "rope" sense is nautical, first recorded 1620s.

n.2

"fellow," 1847, originally American English; earlier (1836) "grotesquely or poorly dressed person," originally (1806) "effigy of Guy Fawkes," leader of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up British king and Parliament (Nov. 5, 1605), paraded through the streets by children on the anniversary of the conspiracy. The male proper name is from French, related to Italian Guido.

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guy2

Origin of guy2

Guy

Related Words

Examples from the Web for guy

Contemporary Examples

And we have a lot of great guests this season: Greta Gerwig, Natasha Lyonne, Olivia Wilde, Steve Buscemi is back—I love that guy.

“We saw his background and he was a Bronx guy and we started breaking the case,” Boyce says.

You were basically the guy to do every dictator or crazy character, from Gaddafi and Ahmadinejad to Bin Laden.

This is a guy who has his son-in-law clean his eyeglasses, for crying out loud.

This was a guy from the hip-hop generation and with a perspective that was inextricably linked to that generation.

Historical Examples

So's the other one—the guy as has got the mun; he's got a bank full of it.

To ensure rigidity the rudder must be stayed with guy wires.

It is Guy of Gisbourne, and thou mayst have heard it before.

This was carried by my fourth son on the fifth of November, when he was a Guy Fawkes.'

Guy suggested as a joke that she charge the makers a commission.

guy1

Word Origin

guy2

Word Origin

Guy

GUY

Word Origin and History for guy

n.1

n.2

guy¹

Origin of guy¹

guy²

Origin of guy²

guy¹

guy²