guy

plural guys

1. IrelandUKAn effigy of a man burned on a bonfire on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot (5th November).
2. datedA person of eccentric appearance or dress; a "fright".

   “But shan’t I look a guy?” “Not a bit of it. Jist the very kick!”

   1845, Henry Cockton, The Love Match, Clark: W.M, page 77

   3 more examples

   I am always a perfect guy, whatever I wear, when I sit against a red curtain. You men say that a woman always knows when she’s good-looking, but I am happy to say I know when I look a guy.

   1865, Margaret Oliphant, “Miss Marjoribanks”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume 97, page 316

   And the lady from the provinces, who dresses like a guy, And who “doesn’t think she dances, but would rather like to try” […].

   1885, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert; Arthur Sullivan, composer, “s:The_Mikado/Act_I”, in […] The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu, London: Chappel & Co., […], →OCLC

   Why are you so ashamed that her child saw you looking a guy, sprawled on the floor, spilling cakes?

   1978, Jane Gardam, God on the Rocks, Abacus, published 2014, page 138

3. colloquialA man or boy; a fellow.

   “You don't say so? I thought he was some guy from Pennsylvania.”

   1873, ‘Mark Twain’, The Gilded Age

   3 more examples

   "Hi, guys. Did you have a fun time at school?" said Katherine. "Yeah we did," said Stacy.

   2007, Manook Sarkisyan, Jack and the Journey through Time, page 219

   She was one of the guys, but they were also very much aware that she was an attractive young woman.

   2014, Joel Williamson, Elvis Presley: A Southern Life

   Let’s be honest. “Have I kissed too many guys?” is not a question that mature, sexually active women are likely to be asking Google.

   2016 March 9, Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, The Guardian

   Synonyms: dude, fella, homey, bro, bloke, chap, bhoy, boy

4. especiallyin pluralsometimes controversialA person (see usage notes).

   You know, I don't believe any girl ever had any better friends than you two guys

   1932, Sidney Howard, The Greeks Had a Word for Them, spoken by Jean (Ina Claire), (addressing two women)

   3 more examples

   My “Guys” actually constitute a collection of people that range from my nearest and dearest girlfriends, my immediate and extended family, co-workers and acquaintances that care.

   2009, Carole McCaskill, WHAT COLOR IS MY RIBBON? : An Ovarian Cancer Success Story

   My “guys,” as I call the group, are loving and hilarious, serious and the epitome of love. They are both male and female in their presence and have never had the experience of inhabiting a physical body—they are beings of light.

   2010, Meg Blackburn Losey, The Secret History of Consciousness: Ancient Keys to our Future Survival

   I recently rewatched the original Star Wars trilogy. I'm not a Star Wars guy, but I did enjoy them a lot more than I did the first time. / The movie seemed more like just Ellie's personal journey into being, like, "Wow, religion can be cool, I guess", which is fine, but I'm more of a sci-fi guy, so I would rather read the book.

   2025 September 5, Angela Collier, “CONTACT (backyard radio telescope part II)”https://youtu.be/0j4_-7rwWjE, YouTube

5. colloquialAnything seen to have character and personality, such as an animal or a toy.

   The dog's left foreleg was broken, poor little guy.

   1 more example

   I just want to play with my guys. My guys are my friends, they're stuffed animals or little action figures I have a lot of them.

   2011, Richard S. Stripp Sr., Mommy, I Wish I Could Tell You What They Did To Me In School Today

6. informalterm of addressdude, Buster, Mack, fella, bud, man.

   Hey, guy, give a man a break, would ya?

7. colloquialThing, item (term that can be used to refer to any entity)

   This guy is the partial derivative of that guy with respect to x.

   1 more example

   This guy, here, controls the current, and this guy, here, measures the voltage.

present singular third person guys · participle present guying · participle past guyed · past guyed

1. intransitiveTo exhibit an effigy of Guy Fawkes around the 5th November.
2. transitiveTo make fun of, to ridicule with wit or innuendo.

   Terry Kilmartin […], applauded for every ‘um’ and ‘ah’, knew that he was being guyed and had the charm to make it funny.

   2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador, published 2007, page 187

   2 more examples

   The dusky hunters "guyed" the palefaces who could not do as well as they with their primitive weapons, even though the fire spouted from the iron tubes and the balls that could not be seen by the eye carried death farther than did the missiles launched by the natives.

   1905, Edward S. Ellis, Deerfoot in The Mountains

   Swift and other satirists mercilessly guyed the unlettered self-importance of the peddlars of such soul-food, exposing their humility and self-laceration as an egregious and obnoxious form of self-advertisement (s'excuser, c'est s'accuser).

   2003, Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason, Penguin, published 2004, page 278

plural guys · obsolete plural guies

1. obsoleterareA guide; a leader or conductor.
2. nauticalA support rope or cable used to aid in hoisting or lowering.
3. nauticalA support to secure or steady structures prone to shift their position or be carried away (e.g. the mast of a ship, a suspension bridge, or a utility pole).

present singular third person guys · participle present guying · participle past guyed · past guyed

1. To equip with a support cable.

   The swinging booms were then guyed out, and the boats made fast by geswarps, and everything in harbor style.

   1840, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., Two Years Before the Mast

plural Guys

1. A male given name from the Germanic languages.

   I am not Samson, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand, To mow 'em down before me;

   1613 (date written), William Shakespeare, [John Fletcher], “The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iv]

   3 more examples

   "Guy," he said. He said it slowly and with a certain puzzlement. He said it again, thoughtfully, as if it were a name of someone he had known long ago but couldn't quite place. "Guy. Yes - don't you find it difficult being called that? I mean, if Nora hadn't said, I'd have put you down as a Kevin, or a Barry. Yes, Barry would suit you." He looked like an innocent child, smiling, wide-eyed, his cheeks plump and rosy, defying the object of his insults to take offence. For they were insults, Guy was in no doubt about that. Leonora's brother was implying that his name was far too upper-class for its possessor.

   1990, Ruth Rendell, Going Wrong, →ISBN, page 157

   “She was a new student. I was a counterculture hero. Back then I went by a different name. Sebastian. Sexy, right? And so much better than Guy. You can't be a counterculture hero and a Guy. That name is way too average. […]

   2016, Nathan Hill, The Nix: A novel, Vintage, →ISBN, page 596

   Authorities say Guy Bartkus, who was 25, set off an explosion in a car outside American Reproductive Centers, injuring five people and killing himself as well as causing extensive damage to the building in an act of terrorism.

   2025 May 21, Manisha Krishnan, “IVF Clinic Bombing Suspect Was Linked to ‘Anti-Life’ Ideology. Experts Fear Its Growing Influence”, in WIRED, archived from the original on 21 May 2025

2. A surname originating as a patronymic.

   Derek Guy was a relatively unknown menswear writer with 25,000 followers on Twitter in 2022.

   2025 June 14, Christopher Mathias, “JD Vance threatened to deport him. The ‘menswear guy’ is posting through it”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 01 Jul 2025

plural Guys

1. UKAn effigy of Guy Fawkes burned on Bonfire Night

1. A male given name from Hebrew.
2. A surname.

1. A place in the United States:
   1. A minor city in Faulkner County, Arkansas.
   2. An unincorporated community in Liberty Township, Howard County, Indiana.
   3. An unincorporated community in Warren County, Kentucky.
   4. An unincorporated community in Fort Bend County, Texas.
2. A hamlet in the Municipal District of Smoky River, No. 130, Alberta, Canada.