US /ɡæ/ UK /[ɡaɪ]/
noun verb Freq #187

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    A man or boy (informal).

    He's a really nice guy.

  2. 2
    noun

    People in a group, used to address them informally.

    Hey guys, are you ready to go?

  3. 3
    noun

    A thing or item you point to instead of naming it (informal).

    This little guy here controls the volume.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 noun · a man or boy (informal). blokechapfellow
Word family
Forms guyedguyingguys
Derived forms cis-guycisguydemiguydoomguyeveryguyfall-guyguy-friendguy-wireguybrowsguydomguyhoodguyish
Related forms wyatt

Common collocations

Etymology

Coined by semantic widening from the name of Guy Fawkes (1570–1606), an English Catholic executed for his role in the Gunpowder Plot, from Old French Gui, a form of Proto-Germanic *Wido, a short form of names beginning with the element witu "wood" from Proto-Germanic *widuz, such as Witold and Widukind. Cognate with Italian Guido.

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Topics

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