1
as in boys
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
Relevance
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 lads
Three of City’s greatest-ever players in Mike Summerbee, Neil Young and Francis Lee were born in or close to Manchester and seven City players in a 1985 derby were local lads.
—
Andy Mitten, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
At their gigs in London’s massive Wembley Stadium and in Manchester’s Heaton Park, lads cried and moshed and showered each other in beer and cider and more questionable liquids.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Andy Mitten, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
At their gigs in London’s massive Wembley Stadium and in Manchester’s Heaton Park, lads cried and moshed and showered each other in beer and cider and more questionable liquids.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lads
Noun
-
Offenders will sometimes exploit young women first before targeting boys like Bohn.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Parents tend to perceive less need to safeguard boys, encouraging more adventurous risky behaviors, according to a 2024 cross-sectional study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Those guys proceeded to score three goals Thursday.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
-
And these guys are delivering, which is huge.—
Jim Alexander,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
While both of her kids have largely stayed out of the spotlight, only making rare appearances to support their mom during milestone career moments, her daughter, Dexter, has praised her on Instagram over the years.—
Emily Strohm,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
-
With those kids now grown and married, this grandfather feels that the focus on being a mensch, rather than being rich, paid off.—
Christina Binkley,
Robb Report,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Jon Pike, a philosophy professor at The Open University in England, argued that an open category should be created for transgender athletes to avoid any potential unfairness from biological males competing against girls and women.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
17 Oct. 2025
-
According to the last national census in India, carried out in 2011, Shahjahanpur had about 872 females for every 1000 males, a wider gap than a national average already imbalanced.—
Aishwarya S. Iyer,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Girls who play sports are more likely to attend college, less likely to become pregnant as teenagers, and more likely to land good jobs after graduation.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
14 Oct. 2025
-
In his new book, Federline wrote that the boys once came to him with concerning allegations regarding their pop star mom, and did not want to spend time at her house as teenagers.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
As a rule, royal governors were gentlemen, if not always gentlemen with experience.—
Stacy Schiff,
The Atlantic,
8 Oct. 2025
-
Mid-Century Modern follows three gay gentlemen of a certain age (Lane, Bomer, Graham) who, after an unexpected death, decide to spend their golden years living together in Palm Springs, where the wealthiest one lives with his mother (Lavin).—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The Steelers-Bengals game presents an incredible nod to human potential, and a great chance to see two old dudes – both of whom just happen to be Super Bowl-winning QBs like Brady and Brees – duke it out.—
Coy Wire,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Teoscar, one of the great dudes in the game.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Lads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lads. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share