Meaning & use
frat guy
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableinformalAmerican
A male member of a college fraternity, especially one stereotyped as loud, sporty and fond of parties.
Grammar: Takes a/an and has a plural: a frat guy, frat guys.
Patterns
- a typical frat guy
My roommate joined a fraternity and now dresses like a frat guy.
The movie's villain is a stereotypical frat guy.
Not every frat guy is a partier; some run charity drives.
Word forms
| plural | frat guys |
|---|
Common combinations
- typical frat guy
- He looks like a typical frat guy in his team jersey.
- stereotypical frat guy
- The show features a stereotypical frat guy.
- frat guy humor
- The jokes were pure frat guy humor.
- frat guy party
- We left the frat guy party early.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fraternity brother
- Fraternity brother is the neutral term for a member, while frat guy often carries a hint of stereotype.
- frat boy
- Frat boy is similar but sounds a bit more mocking and implies immaturity.
- bro
- Bro is a broader slang term for a casual, sporty young man and does not need a fraternity link.
Word family
- frat noun
- informal short form of fraternity
- fraternity noun
- a men's social club at a college
- fraternal adjective
- relating to brothers or brotherhood
- sorority noun
- the women's equivalent of a fraternity
Commonly confused: frat guy or fraternity?
frat guy vs fraternity
A fraternity is the organization, while a frat guy is a person in it, with a teasing tone.
Practice
What does calling someone a frat guy usually suggest?
Choose one answer.
Frat guy refers to a fraternity member, often with a stereotype of partying. The other options have no connection to fraternities.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “frat guy”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.