the lads
plural noun
British, informal
: the male friends or work partners of a man viewed as a group
He was out drinking with the lads at the pub.
Examples of the lads in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Anthology was a radical approach to the story — no narrator, no talking heads, just the lads themselves, up close and personal, with loads of unseen footage that fans hadn’t even imagined.
—
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025
The rash of lad mags, crowded with bikini babes and bad advice for dudes, actively influenced the lads to be more sexist; studies showed that exposure to fashion magazines in the 1990s seemed to make girls hate themselves.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2025
Hearing the song before the lads come out is so iconic.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
The foursome lives at Lee’s home in Seattle, with the women in the main house and the lads in a barn-like bunker in the yard.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Act 2 falls into the same opening trap with a cartoonish scene as the lads hit the U.S.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Can the lads keep their game up, nearly a mile high and without their best offensive player?
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2025
There was definitely a big wave of support from the lads.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 7 Feb. 2025
Congratulations to the lads for the performance, not for the result.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
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Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 21 Aug. 2025
The rash of lad mags, crowded with bikini babes and bad advice for dudes, actively influenced the lads to be more sexist; studies showed that exposure to fashion magazines in the 1990s seemed to make girls hate themselves.
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 16 Aug. 2025
Hearing the song before the lads come out is so iconic.
—Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 10 Aug. 2025
The foursome lives at Lee’s home in Seattle, with the women in the main house and the lads in a barn-like bunker in the yard.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2025
Act 2 falls into the same opening trap with a cartoonish scene as the lads hit the U.S.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Can the lads keep their game up, nearly a mile high and without their best offensive player?
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Mar. 2025
There was definitely a big wave of support from the lads.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 7 Feb. 2025
Congratulations to the lads for the performance, not for the result.
—Zak Garner-Purkis, Forbes, 20 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“The lads.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20lads. Accessed 16 Sep. 2025.
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