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

• bastard
• bloke [chiefly British]
• buck
• cat
• chap [chiefly British]
• chappie [British]
• dude
• fellow
• galoot [slang]
• gent
• gentleman
• guy
• hombre
• jack
• joe
• joker
• lad
• male
• man

Examples of fella in a Sentence

He's not a bad fella.

She has a new fella.

Recent Examples on the Web

That’s — actually kind of genius, especially if the Poet was a clumsy fella who needed that kind of precautionary measure. —Sara Netzley, EW.com, 15 Apr. 2025

So here’s a suggestion for the redemption tour, fellas: Fund more basic research. —Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2025

So, fellas, thank you very much. —Julie Mazziotta, People.com, 6 Apr. 2025

There has been some discussion of a separate men’s chapter to let the fellas in on the fun, so stay tuned! —Tamia Boyd, Charlotte Observer, 4 Apr. 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