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
This place was incredible, and got to enjoy it with some good lads.
—
Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
The year was 1994, and a handful of Irish lads were gathered at a hotel in Northern Ireland to celebrate Colin Cather’s pending nuptials.
—Abby Ellin, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2026
Hurzeler had better hope his lads don’t fall behind.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
McMurtry Automotive Ten years since the company formed, the mad lads at McMurtry Automotive are bringing the record-setting Spéirling Pure hypercar to life.
—New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2026
Even when rehearsals began at an old film studio in East London, Daldry and his creative team weren’t sure which lads would make the grade.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Mescal, Keoghan, Quinn, and Dickinson are each headlining their own respective Beatles film, which will dive deep into the minds of the Liverpudlian lads who changed music forever.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Laborious yet lithe lads and lasses have loyally leapt to luminate the lexical labyrinths of logic locking the lucrative lotto, longing to lure the lavish luxury lying latently in local landmarks.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
George Martin became the world’s most legendary producer with the Beatles, the studio wizard who teamed up with four lads from Liverpool to transform music.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2026
Emily Krauser, PEOPLE, 10 Apr. 2026
The year was 1994, and a handful of Irish lads were gathered at a hotel in Northern Ireland to celebrate Colin Cather’s pending nuptials.
—Abby Ellin, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2026
Hurzeler had better hope his lads don’t fall behind.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
McMurtry Automotive Ten years since the company formed, the mad lads at McMurtry Automotive are bringing the record-setting Spéirling Pure hypercar to life.
—New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2026
Even when rehearsals began at an old film studio in East London, Daldry and his creative team weren’t sure which lads would make the grade.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 11 Feb. 2026
Mescal, Keoghan, Quinn, and Dickinson are each headlining their own respective Beatles film, which will dive deep into the minds of the Liverpudlian lads who changed music forever.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Jan. 2026
Laborious yet lithe lads and lasses have loyally leapt to luminate the lexical labyrinths of logic locking the lucrative lotto, longing to lure the lavish luxury lying latently in local landmarks.
—Jared Kaufman, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2026
George Martin became the world’s most legendary producer with the Beatles, the studio wizard who teamed up with four lads from Liverpool to transform music.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lads
Noun
-
Students in schoolyard as gunfire starts Bassam Abu-Assaf, the principal of the all-boys school that came under fire, said at least five armed settlers had approached the village of Al-Mughayyir, northeast of Ramallah, around noon.—
Zeena Saifi,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Officials said the children who died — three boys and five girls — ranged in age from 3 to 11 years old.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
All these guys, including our President, are going to live forever.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
You guys really pride yourself on sequencing.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
If kids are in your world, plan a game that includes them.—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
17 Apr. 2026
-
All kids are really good kids, but these are good kids.—
Jeff Capellini,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The dirt eating was widespread, with males and females from different groups of monkeys partaking during multiple times of the year, and was generally associated with areas where there were more tourists.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
22 Apr. 2026
-
That gender balance, Hatters-Friedman said, makes filicide unique among murders, which are mainly committed by males.—
Chelsea Bailey,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Officers arrived to find a single-vehicle wreck involving five teenagers ages 16 to 18, all with major injuries.—
Aidin Vaziri,
San Francisco Chronicle,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Based on Margaret Atwood’s 2019 novel, the sequel series returns to the oppressive, patriarchal society, this time through the lens of teenagers Agnes (Chase Infiniti) and Daisy (Lucy Halliday).—
Rebecca Aizin,
PEOPLE,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Joshua Jackson has long been one of the cooler gentlemen on television.—
Charlie Hobbs,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 Apr. 2026
-
His father was the fourth generation in a long line of gentlemen ranchers—weekend cowboys who’d made their fortune in Austin as attorneys for large oil companies, but whose identity was still tied to the thousands of acres that the family owned near Marfa.—
Douglas Stuart,
New Yorker,
12 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Despite making choices that would bring traditional dudes to blows, these two forged a real connection, a real trust, a real relationship.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Probably more dudes than Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State, but a year from now, the Irish will be rebuilding on defense, while those other programs are more likely to be reloading.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lads.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lads. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
