fellow

noun, often attributive fel·low \ ˈfe-(ˌ)lō \

Updated on: 7 May 2018

Definition of fellow

1 : comrade, associate

was eager to rejoin his fellows

2 a : an equal in rank, power, or character : peer

discussions among a group of fellows from the nearby Los Alamos National Laboratory
—Roger Lewin

b : one of a pair : mate

3 : a member of a group having common characteristics; specifically : a member of an incorporated literary or scientific society

a fellow of the American College of Surgeons

4 a obsolete : a person of one of the lower social classes

b archaic : a worthless man or boy

c : man, boy

He seems like a fine fellow.

d : boyfriend, beau

She and her fellow went to the movies.

5 : an incorporated member of a college or collegiate foundation especially in a British university

6 : a person appointed to a position granting a stipend and allowing for advanced study or research

See fellow defined for English-language learners

See fellow defined for kids

Examples of fellow in a Sentence

fellows and girls at a party
a young fellow like you
Your son's a bright little fellow.
She's found herself a new fellow.
a fellow of the American College of Surgeons
a Fellow of the Royal Society

Recent Examples of fellow from the Web

There’s an earthy duet for Dores André and Luke Ingham, a corps garbed like centurions, a fellow (Wei Wang) in chalky white makeup, alternately toting a gold fishing rod and standing on his head and a general air of decadence.

— allan ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle, "Pita’s ‘Bjork Ballet’ a stunning work in S.F. Ballet’s final Unbound program," 27 Apr. 2018
Sheng-Feng Shen, an associate research fellow at Academia Sinica in Taiwan, believes that Sumner and Kennedy’s results will help future inclusive fitness models resemble models based on population dynamics.

— jordana cepelewicz, Scientific American, "The Elusive Calculus of Insect Altruism," 26 Apr. 2018
Keller joins his fellow AMD alumnus, Raja Koduri, as two key chip designers in Intel’s architecture group.

— mark hachman, PCWorld, "Intel hires Jim Keller, AMD's former Zen chief, as the company beefs up its talent pool," 26 Apr. 2018
The 36-year-old is aware that his on-screen presence wasn’t as robust as his fellow cast mates.

— elizabeth angell, ELLE Decor, "How Queer Eye's Bobby Berk Renovates a Whole House in Four Days," 24 Apr. 2018
Ryan and his fellow Republicans have one fundamental legacy: the bankrupting of the United States.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Pope Francis Isn’t Catholicism’s Trump," 20 Apr. 2018
But where his fellow Argonauts were looking for gold, Adney went digging for the story.

— Anchorage Daily News, "In ‘Klondike Stampede,’ the madness of the Gold Rush, told by one who lived it," 14 Apr. 2018
In the latest study to address the subject, researchers led by Claudia Lugo-Candelas, a post-doctoral research fellow at Columbia University, added to that knowledge by taking pictures of the brains of 98 babies about a month after they were born.

— alice park, Time, "Taking Antidepressants During Pregnancy May Lead to Fetal Brain Changes," 9 Apr. 2018
Three shows announced for the Noblesville amphitheater also include fellow '90s acts Bush and Live.

— david lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "Kid Rock, STP and Counting Crows join Ruoff concert lineup," 7 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fellow.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Did You Know?

The Old Norse word for a partner, felagi, means literally “one who puts down property.” Such people were those who laid together their property for some common purpose. Old English borrowed felagi from Old Norse and called a partner a feolaga. This word has come down to us, through several centuries and the development of a number of senses, as modern English fellow. Perhaps its most common use today is its very general one, in which it is applied to any boy or man.

Origin and Etymology of fellow

Middle English felawe, from Old English fēolaga, from Old Norse fēlagi, from fēlag partnership, from fē cattle, money + lag act of laying

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

fellow Synonyms

Synonyms

associate, cohort, companion, compatriot, comrade, crony, hobnobber, mate, running mate;

accomplice, affiliate, ally, collaborator, confederate, half, partner;

buddy, chum, confidant, familiar, friend, hearty, intimate, pal;

countryman;

classmate, housemate, messmate, playfellow, playmate, roommate (also roomie), schoolmate, shipmate, teammate;

attendant, escort;

hanger-on, leech, parasite;

FELLOW Defined for English Language Learners

fellow

noun

Definition of fellow for English Language Learners

: a male person : a boy or man
: a male companion of a girl or woman
: a member of a group of people who have shared interests, activities, etc.

FELLOW Defined for Kids

fellow

noun fel·low \ ˈfe-lō \

Definition of fellow for Students

1 : a male person

2 : companion 1, comrade

fellow

adjective

Definition of fellow for Students

: belonging to the same group or class

my fellow Americans

Medical Dictionary

fellow

noun fel·low \ ˈfel-(ˌ)ō, -ə(-w) \

medical Definition of fellow

: a young physician who has completed training as an intern and resident and has been granted a stipend and position allowing him or her to do further study or research in a specialty