guy
see also: Guy
Pronunciation Noun

guy (plural guys)

  1. (British) An effigy of a man burned on a bonfire on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot (5th November).
  2. (dated) A person of eccentric appearance or dress; a "fright".
    • 1845, Henry Cockton, The Love Match, W.M. Clark, p. 77 ↗:
      “But shan’t I look a guy?”
      “Not a bit of it. Jist the very kick!”
    • 1865, Margaret Oliphant, Miss Marjoribanks, Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, vol. 97, p. 316 ↗:
      I am always a perfect guy, whatever I wear, when I sit against a red curtain. You mean say that a woman always knows when she’s good-looking, but I am happy to say I know when I look a guy.
    • 1885, W. S. Gilbert, The Mikado, “As Some Day It May Happen”:
      And the lady from the provinces, who dresses like a guy,
      And who “doesn’t think she dances, but would rather like to try” […].
    • 1978, Jane Gardam, God on the Rocks, Abacus 2014, p. 138:
      Why are you so ashamed that her child saw you looking a guy, sprawled on the floor, spilling cakes?
  3. (colloquial) A man, fellow.
    • "Yeah we did," said Stacy.
    • 2016, Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett, The Guardian, 9 March:
      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.
  4. (especially, in the plural) A person (see usage notes).
  5. (colloquial, of animals and sometimes objects) Thing, creature.
    The dog's left foreleg was broken, poor little guy.
  6. (colloquial, figuratively) Thing, unit.
    This guy, here, controls the current, and this guy, here, measures the voltage.
    This guy is the partial derivative of that guy with respect to x.
  7. (informal, term of address) Buster, Mack, fella, bud, man.
    Hey, guy, give a man a break, would ya?
Synonyms Antonyms Translations
  • French: mec, gars
  • German: Typ, Kerl
  • Italian: tipo, bullo
  • Portuguese: tipo (Portugal), cara (Brazil)
  • Russian: па́рень
  • Spanish: (please verify) tipo (es) m (Argentina), güey (México - often written and pronounced 'wey') (please verify) buey (es), (please verify) cuate (es) m (Mexico), (Chile) (please verify) gallo#Spanish|gallo (es), (Costa Rica) (please verify) mae#Spanish|mae (es) m or f, (Colombia) (please verify) man#Spanish|man (es) m, (Venezuela - recessive usage) (please verify) tercio#Spanish|tercio (es) m, (Spain) (please verify) tío (es) m, (México) (please verify) vato#Spanish|vato (es), (vulgar usage) (please verify) carajo (es) (Colombia), (please verify) coño (es) m (Venezuela), (El Salvador) (please verify) jodido (es) m
Translations Verb

guy (guys, present participle guying; past and past participle guyed)

  1. (intransitive) To exhibit an effigy of Guy Fawkes around the 5th November.
  2. (transitive) To make fun of, to ridicule with wit or innuendo.
    • 2003, Roy Porter, Flesh in the Age of Reason, Penguin 2004, p. 278:
      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).
    • 2006, Clive James, North Face of Soho, Picador 2007, p. 187:
      Terry Kilmartin [...], applauded for every ‘um’ and ‘ah’, knew that he was being guyed and had the charm to make it funny.
  3. (theatre, transitive) To play in a comedic manner.
Noun

guy (plural guys)

  1. (obsolete, rare) A guide; a leader or conductor.
  2. (primarily, nautical) A support rope or cable used to guide, steady or secure something which is being hoisted or lowered.
  3. (primarily, nautical) 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).
Translations Verb

guy (guys, present participle guying; past and past participle guyed)

  1. To equip with a support cable.
Translations
  • Italian: strallare

Guy
Pronunciation Proper noun
  1. A male given name.
    • 1613 William Shakespeare: King Henry the Eighth: Act V, Scene IV:
      I am not Samson, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand, / To mow 'em down before me;
    • 1990 Ruth Rendell: Going Wrong ISBN 0091743001 page 157:
      "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.
    • 2016, Nathan Hill, The Nix: A novel, Vintage (ISBN 9781101946626), page 596
      “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. […]
  2. Surname
Related terms Translations Noun

guy (plural guys)

  1. (British) An effigy of Guy Fawkes burned on Bonfire Night
Proper noun
  1. A male given name.
  2. Surname
Proper noun
  1. A city in Arkansas.
  2. A hamlet in Alberta, Canada.



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