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guy

UKGY/ɡaɪ/

Pluralguys

10 meanings of guy

Practice

  1. 1
    man or boynouncolloquialcountable
    A man or boy, referred to or addressed informally.

    The guy at the counter helped me find the right size.

    Two guys in suits were waiting outside the office.

    UsageCommon in a nice guy, good guy, and tough guy. In formal writing, man is the usual choice.

    Similarman, fellow, bloke, chap, dude

    Note

    Here one man's name became every man's. In The Gilded Age (1873), by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner, "some guy from Pennsylvania" is simply a man the speaker does not recognize. The set phrase one of the guys can take in a woman accepted on equal terms, which is a step toward the plural for anyone.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

    • The common noun derives from a man's name, Guy Fawkes. en.wiktionary.org
    • The Gilded Age was first published in 1873 and was written by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. en.wikipedia.org
    • The novel contains the exact words "some guy from Pennsylvania," spoken by Grace. gutenberg.org
  2. 2
    everyone (group)nouncountableplural
    A person of any gender, used chiefly in the plural to address or refer to a group informally.

    Thanks for coming, guys. Grab a seat anywhere.

    I'm having lunch with the guys from accounting, Maria and Jen.

    UsageCommon in you guys and hey guys, often for mixed groups, though some listeners still hear it as male.

    Similarfolks, people

    Note

    Few everyday words draw as much argument as this plural. Speakers use guys for mixed company, and writers stretch it further. Carole McCaskill's guys include her girlfriends and family, and Meg Blackburn Losey gives the name to bodiless spirit guides who are "both male and female."

    Checked 3 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Carole McCaskill uses 'guys' to include her girlfriends and family. en.wiktionary.org
    • Meg Blackburn Losey calls bodiless spirit guides 'guys' and describes them as 'both male and female.' en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    lovable creaturenouncolloquialcountable
    Informal: an animal or thing, referred to fondly or casually as if it were a person.

    The cat stretched out on the sofa. The little guy owns the place.

    My son won't sleep without this little guy, a worn-out stuffed bear with one ear.

    UsageOften in little guy, for a pet or toy.

    Similarfellow

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Origins

Meanings 1–3, 6–9

From Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), executed for the Gunpowder Plot: his first name passed to the effigies burned each 5 November, then in England to any shabbily dressed man, and in American slang to any man at all. The name itself came through Old French Gui from a short Germanic name, Wido.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 8 facts

  • The noun derives from Guy Fawkes's name. en.wiktionary.org
  • Guy Fawkes lived from 1570 to 1606. en.wikipedia.org
  • Fawkes was executed for his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot. en.wiktionary.org
  • His first name became the name for effigies burned on 5 November. en.wikipedia.org
  • The word subsequently described a poorly dressed man in England. en.wikipedia.org
  • Early lexicographical evidence connects the ill-dressed-person sense with the effigy. gutenberg.org
  • The word subsequently acquired the general meaning 'man' in American speech. gutenberg.org
  • The given name came through Old French Gui from the Germanic short name Wido. en.wiktionary.org
Meanings 4–5, 10

Proto-Germanic *wītaną ("know") is the ultimate source, by way of Frankish *wītan. Old French guie, which goes with the verb guier ("guide"), came from that, and English took the word from Old French. English guide is a cognate.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts