/ læd; NAmE / noun
1.
[ C ] ( old-fashioned or informal , BrE ) a boy or young man :
Things have changed since I was a lad.
He's a nice lad.
—compare lass
2.
the lads [ pl. ] ( BrE , informal ) a group of friends that a man works with or spends free time with :
to go to the pub with the lads
3.
[ C , usually sing. ] ( BrE , informal ) a lively young man, especially one who is very interested in women and having sex, drinks a lot of alcohol and enjoys sport :
Tony was a bit of a lad —always had an eye for the women.
—see also laddish
4.
[ C ] ( BrE ) a person who works in a stable
—see also stable boy
••
WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : of unknown origin.