Meaning & use
the frat boys
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Meanings
nounpluralinformaldisapproving
A group of young men who belong to a college fraternity, especially when they are seen as loud or rowdy.
Grammar: Always used with "the" when you mean the group as a whole: the frat boys were shouting. For one person, say a frat boy.
Patterns
- the frat boys from a fraternity
- a group of frat boys
- the frat boys next door
The frat boys next door kept the whole street awake until three in the morning.
She said the party was full of frat boys who only talked about their house.
In the film, the frat boys are the ones who throw the big party on campus.
nounpluralinformaldisapproving
Young men who behave in the loud, heavy-drinking way people associate with college fraternities.
Grammar: Used like a general label for a type of young man, not for a named group: he acts like one of the frat boys.
Patterns
- act like the frat boys
- one of the frat boys
- sound like a frat boy
He still acts like one of the frat boys even though he graduated years ago.
The brand's ads aimed at the frat boys who buy expensive sneakers.
Her cousins are the frat boys of the family: loud, funny, and always the last to leave.
Word forms
| singular | frat boy |
|---|
Common combinations
- the frat boys next door
- The frat boys next door had a party that lasted until sunrise.
- a group of frat boys
- A group of frat boys blocked the whole sidewalk outside the bar.
- act like a frat boy
- He still acts like a frat boy whenever his old friends visit.
- frat boy behavior
- The neighbors complained about what they called frat boy behavior.
- the frat boys on campus
- The frat boys on campus organized a charity run last spring.
Synonyms and how they differ
- fraternity members
- Neutral and formal; use it in news reports or official writing where "frat boys" would sound judgmental.
- brothers
- Used inside a fraternity for its members and sounds respectful, not critical.
- lads
- British and informal for a group of young men; it has no connection to American college fraternities.
Word family
- fraternity noun
- A social club for male students at an American college.
- frat noun
- Informal short form of "fraternity."
- frat boy noun
- One young man of this type; the singular of the headword.
Commonly confused: the frat boys or sorority girls? the frat boys or frat brothers?
the frat boys vs sorority girls
A sorority is the female equivalent of a fraternity, so "sorority girls" refers to a different group.
the frat boys vs frat brothers
"Frat brothers" stresses that the men belong to the same house, while "frat boys" usually comments on how they behave.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly and naturally?
Choose one answer.
"The frat boys" is a plural phrase, so it takes a plural verb and fits with "played." Option 2 is wrong because "a" cannot go before a plural, option 3 mixes a singular subject with a plural phrase, and option 4 uses a singular verb with a plural subject.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the frat boys”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.