guy

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
: man, fellow
b
: person
used in plural to refer to the members of a group regardless of sex
saw her and the rest of the guys
2
: individual, creature
The other dogs pale in comparison to this little guy.
3
often capitalized : a grotesque effigy of Guy Fawkes traditionally displayed and burned in England on Guy Fawkes Day
4
chiefly British : a person of grotesque appearance

guy

2 of 4

noun (2)

: a rope, chain, rod, or wire attached to something as a brace or guide

called also guyline

guy

3 of 4

verb (1)

guyed; guying; guys

transitive verb

: to steady or reinforce with a guy

guy

4 of 4

verb (2)

guyed; guying; guys

transitive verb

: to make fun of : ridicule

Did you know?

In England, November 5—Guy Fawkes Day—is celebrated by setting off fireworks and lighting bonfires. Human likenesses made of tattered clothes stuffed with hay or rags are burned on the bonfires. The day is named after a 17thcentury man, Guy Fawkes, who led a plot to blow up the British Parliament buildings. Fawkes managed to hide 20 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of the buildings. However, the plot was discovered before he could carry out his plans. He was seized and later put to death. The human likenesses burned on the fires came to be called guys. The verb guy “to ridicule” is derived from this story also. The use of the word was extended to similar figures and then to a person of strange appearance or dress. In the US, the word came to mean simply “man” and in time “a person of either sex.”

Examples of guy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For the waiting-room soundtrack, Simmons played the guitar and synths himself, despite mainly being a banjo guy. John Gravois, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024 That maybe this guy didn’t really value women in the writers’ room. Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 18 Mar. 2024 Is there anything better than a hot, scary guy who isn’t, in any way, real? Katy Waldman, The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2024 Well, this is the guy who just fired someone for give – doing an interview. CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 Seth described himself and Zac as two tall guys who wanted to fit in. Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024 Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, Salesian, 6-3, senior Hunkin-Claytor was the glue guy in Salesian’s run to the NorCal Open Division title and Open state final. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 What a fantastic player these guys are, just amazing. Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 If this guy isn’t working on film sets already, then he’s always got a backup career as a top-form hair artist for the big screen. Adam Hurly, Robb Report, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
Now Texans just guy a handgun. Zachary B. Wolf, CNN, 1 Sep. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'guy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Guy Fawkes

Noun (2)

probably from Dutch gei brail

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1806, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Noun (2)

1623, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

1712, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1854, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of guy was in 1623

Dictionary Entries Near guy

Cite this Entry

“Guy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/guy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

guy

1 of 3 noun
: a rope, chain, rod, or wire attached to something as a brace or guide

guy

2 of 3 verb
guyed; guying
: to steady or strengthen with a guy

guy

3 of 3 noun
Etymology

Noun

probably from Dutch gei "a rope used to control a sail"

Noun

named for Guy Fawkes 1570–1606 English criminal

Word Origin
November 5 is a holiday in England, and people celebrate it by setting off fireworks and lighting bonfires. Human likenesses made of tattered clothes stuffed with hay or rags are burned on the bonfires. The holiday is called "Guy Fawkes Day" for a 17th century man who played a leading role in a plot to blow up the British Parliament buildings. Fawkes managed to hide 20 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of the buildings. However, the plot was discovered before Fawkes could carry out his plans. He was seized and later put to death. The likenesses burned to celebrate the failure of the plot came to be called guys. The use of the word was extended to similar figures and then to a person of strange appearance or dress. In the U.S., guy came to mean simply "man" and, in time, a person of either sex.

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