fella

noun

fel·​la ˈfe-lə 

variants or less commonly feller

ˈfe-lər 

plural fellas also fellers

informal : fellow sense 4c, man sense 1a(1)

a nice fella

"The fella who does the windows here sometimes puts a striped shirt with a striped tie and a striped suit …"

—Teri Agins

A fella who accepts himself and is relaxed into who he is—that appeals to people.

—Rebecca Winters Keegan

Moments when a feller needs a friend and so forth.

—P. G. Wodehouse

Gunnysack Johnson observed that "nobody can talk as interestingly as the feller that's not hampered by facts or information."

—Jim Reed

Synonyms

• guy
• gentleman
• male
• dude

Examples of fella in a Sentence

He's not a bad fella.

She has a new fella.

Recent Examples on the Web

The old-timer included, well, an old-timer, a fella in overalls with his forearm resting on a barrel. —Neal Rubin, Freep.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Heard of some fella called Alexander Isak? —Andy Jones, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2025

My dad’s a handsome fella, an affable New York Jew who stops strangers to admire their babies or try out a Russian phrase he’s been practicing. —AFAR Media, 7 Aug. 2025

What’s a fella to do when an executive order won’t fix a problem? —U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

alteration of fellow

First Known Use

1816, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for fella

• bella
• cella
• chela
• ella
• fellah
• sela
• selah
• sella
• stela
• vela
• arabella
• bartonella