lad
1 Americannoun
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a boy or youth.
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Informal. a familiar or affectionate term of address for a man; chap.
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British Horseracing Informal. a stable boy.
abbreviation
noun
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a boy or young man
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informal a familiar form of address for any male
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a lively or dashing man or youth (esp in the phrase a bit of a lad )
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a young man whose behaviour is characteristic of male adolescents, esp in being rowdy, macho, or immature
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a boy or man who looks after horses
Other Word Forms
- laddish adjective
- ladhood noun
Etymology
Origin of lad
1250–1300; Middle English ladde < ?; compare late Old English Ladda (nickname)
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.
"There's lots more to come because Lewis is a very humble lad," Robinson said.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
Nathan: I'd like to think that they'd describe me as the same lad I was growing up.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2026
"Me directing Brad Pitt, wee lad from Belfast," Donnelly laughed.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2026
The lad is only 10 years old, though, so he’ll have to wait: Nobody under 12 is allowed to fly.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 22, 2026
He stood proudly and saw this happen and he would not laugh when the clerks, who had scorned him before, now cried out, “Pretty characters the lad makes and he is a clever one!”
From "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck
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.
