lad

noun

ˈlad How to pronounce lad (audio)
Definition of ladnext
1
as in boy
a male person who has not yet reached adulthood fond of telling tall tales of the days when he was just a lad

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in guy
an adult male human being pass me another beer—will you, lad?

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lad And Colbert made the most of it, bringing on special cameos from pals like Tig Notaro, his original bandleader, and a certain lad from Liverpool. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 22 May 2026 And same with our young lad, Talha Akdogan, who plays my son, Pyteh. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 May 2026 Jose, the Mexican lad who had ridden over from the ranch with Ivon, winked at me. — Jack O'Connor, Outdoor Life, 23 Apr. 2026 With a cast full of lads lads lads, The Husbands looks like a charmer. — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 13 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for lad
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lad
  1. boy
  2. guy
  3. kid
  4. gentleman
  5. teenager
  6. male
  7. dude
  8. man
Noun
  • A little boy climbed onto his dad’s lap to get a better view.
    — Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN Money, 25 July 2026
  • The lawsuit alleges breach of fiduciary duty and claims the school rejected roughly $10 million in pledges from alumni seeking to preserve the all-boys model.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026
Definition of boy
Noun
  • How vital was Davey to what you guys were able to do in the ’80s?
    — Tim Britton, New York Times, 24 July 2026
  • Analyzing voter registrations and filing challenges has become a common move by conservative activists (like the guy who created ELLY) after the 2020 election.
    — Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 23 July 2026
Definition of guy
Noun
  • Send both members of the cool-kid clique home at the same time?
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 24 July 2026
  • Traci, Howe said, was ready to have kids and was happy to have a man with a stable income.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
Definition of kid
Noun
  • The Knicks claiming the 2026 NBA championship in an emphatic 4-1 gentleman’s sweep of the San Antonio Spurs sent the Eastern Conference into a frenzy.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
  • The program is structured around four themes, The Lawn, The Garden, The Stage and The Gallery, drawn from Sir Thomas Elyot’s 1531 The Boke Named the Governour, the founding text of the English gentleman ideal.
    — Rachel Dube, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of gentleman
Noun
  • The series, about students at a school in Japan that teaches super-powered teenagers how to become heroes, arrived in the boom era of Marvel Studios’ cinematic universe.
    — Diya Chacko, Oc Register, 24 July 2026
  • Investigators testified that the teenager carried the rifle onto the school bus with the barrel wrapped in a poster board.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
Definition of teenager
Noun
  • The filmmakers have conceived a world that is both funny and extreme, navigating themes of bodily autonomy for both males and females through the playful and the monstrous.
    — William Earl, Variety, 25 July 2026
  • The sterile male flies mated with fertile female flies, but the interactions didn’t produce offspring, decreasing the overall fly population.
    — Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 24 July 2026
Definition of male
Noun
  • Watching shoot-first combo guards go off for 30 in a summer-league game is great fun, but most of those dudes don’t get to play with a neon-green light in a game that matters.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 22 July 2026
  • There’s a lot of dudes out here that would sell their soul for an uncomplicated yet complicated jam just like that.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 22 July 2026
Definition of dude
Noun
  • Chamberlain allegedly pointed a handgun at the third man prior to Marshall’s arrival.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2026
  • The three women were caught in the crossfire, while the three men allegedly participated in the gunfire.
    — Reeti Malhotra July 21, Sacbee.com, 22 July 2026
Definition of man

Browse Nearby Words

lacy
lad
ladder
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Cite this Entry

“Lad.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lad. Accessed 30 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of lad for Spanish Speakers

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