guy
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Buster, Mack, fella, bud.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
gyIPA pronunciation (US)
ɡaɪ
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
informalterm of address
Buster, Mack, fella, bud, man.
“Hey, guy, give a man a break, would ya?”
colloquial
A man, fellow.
A person of eccentric appearance or dress; a "fright".
A support to secure or steady something prone to shift its position or be carried away (e.g. the mast of a ship or a suspension-bridge).
UKIreland
An effigy of a man burned on a bonfire on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot (5th November).
colloquialof animals and sometimes objects
Thing, creature.
“The dog's left foreleg was broken, poor little guy.”
verb
To equip with a support cable.
To exhibit an effigy of Guy Fawkes around the 5th November.
To make fun of, to ridicule with wit or innuendo.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (term of address) Buster, Mack, fella, bud, man.
Used this way, guy is a common word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It turns up most in everyday conversation and social media or informal writing contexts.
“Hey, guy, give a man a break, would ya?”
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Casual
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Common
- Connotation
- Playful
- Usage feel
- Casual and conversational
Where it naturally appears
- Everyday conversation
- Social media/informal writing
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Busternoun
“Hey, guy, give a man a break, would ya?”
Creaturenoun
“The dog's left foreleg was broken, poor little guy.”
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Day for the celebration of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot.
Effigies of Guy Fawkes are burned on this night.
Pope who in 1122 forced the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V to sign a concordat that recognized the right of the church to choose its own leadership (died in 1124).
A cable, wire, or rope that is used to brace something (especially a tent).
A cable, wire, or rope that is used to brace something (especially a tent).
Someone who bullies weaker people.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: to equip with a support cable
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API (CC BY-SA 3.0). Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.