lad

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A boy or young man, especially one seen as lively, ordinary, or part of a male social group.

   Grammar: Countable: a lad, the lads; informal in American English.

   Patterns

   • a local lad
   • one of the lads
   • a lad from somewhere

   A local lad helps carry groceries for his elderly neighbor.

   He was a shy lad who loved fixing bicycles.

   The lads met at the football pitch every Saturday.

2. 2nouncountableinformal

   A friendly or affectionate way to speak to a man or boy in some British and Irish contexts.

   Grammar: Used as address: Thanks, lad; can sound warm or patronizing by tone.

   Patterns

   • Thanks, lad
   • poor lad
   • good lad

   “Thanks, lad,” the bus driver said as I handed over the ticket.

   Poor lad missed his train because of the canceled bus.

Word forms

Common combinations

one of the lads

At work he is one of the lads, always joking during lunch.

a nice lad

Her brother is a nice lad who volunteers at the food bank.

the lads

The lads organized a weekend camping trip.

Synonyms and how they differ

boy

Boy is neutral and can refer to any male child; lad sounds warmer and more British/informal.

young man

Young man is neutral and polite, while lad is casual and can sound affectionate.

guy

Guy is general American informal for a male; lad is more tied to British style.

chap

Chap is old-fashioned British for a man, less often used for boys.

Opposites

Word family

laddish adjective

British informal: behaving in a noisy, boisterous young-male way.

laddie noun

Scottish or affectionate word for a young boy.

Commonly confused: lad or lad? lad or lass?

Practice

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Write a sentence using “lad”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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