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

Trouble is, the sheriff responsible for the miscarriage of justice is gone and his replacement — Gabriel Dove (Pierce Brosnan) — seems like a decent fella who’s trying to keep townsfolk from killing each other. —Randy Myers, Mercury News, 12 June 2025

Yours is more operatic, and my fella is more in the gangster genre. —Daniel D'addario, Variety, 2 June 2025

Gilbert handles the OTs during prax and Goodwin gets the interior fellas. —Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 9 May 2025

Storme Warren and his weekly Stories Behind The Songs show played host to the fellas at the Twelve Thirty Club on Broadway. —Rebecca Angel Baer, Southern Living, 20 Mar. 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