guy S1 W3 /ɡaɪ/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Sense 1-2, 4-5: Date: 1800-1900 ; Origin: Guy Fawkes (1570-1606), who tried to blow up the English parliament. ]
[ Sense 3: Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: Probably from Dutch gei 'type of rope' ]
1 . informal a man SYN bloke :
Dave’s a nice guy when you get to know him.
Jake’s a real tough guy.
2 . British English a model of a man burnt every year on Guy Fawkes Night, in Britain
3 . ( also guy rope ) a rope that stretches from the top or side of a tent or pole to the ground to keep it in the right position
4 . guys [plural] American English spoken used when talking to or about a group of people, male or female:
Hey you guys! Where are you going?
5 . no more Mr Nice Guy! spoken used to say that you will stop trying to behave honestly and fairly
⇨ wise guy at ↑ wise 1 (5)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ a nice/good guy
People say he’s a nice guy.
▪ a great guy
Phil is a great guy and a lot of fun.
▪ the bad guy (=a man in a book or movie who does bad things)
The bad guys all have guns.
▪ the good guy (=a man in a book or movie who does good things and beats the bad characters)
He’s one of the good guys in the 'Star Wars' films.
▪ a bad guy (=a person who is responsible for something bad that happens, or a person who you do not like)
I'm fed up with people always thinking that I am the bad guy.
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Mike's not a bad guy.
▪ the poor guy (=used when something bad happens to someone and you want to show sympathy)
The poor guy was robbed of all his money.
▪ a tough guy (=a man who is strong and not afraid, especially one who is good at fighting)
He’s trying to prove he’s a tough guy.
▪ a regular guy American English (=an ordinary man)
I knew him in high school. He’s just a regular guy.
▪ the little guy American English (=ordinary people rather than a powerful organization such as a government or a large company)
He wanted to get elected and fight for the little guy.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ man an adult male human:
a young man
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Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest.
▪ guy ( also bloke/chap British English ) informal a man:
She’d arranged to meet a guy in the bar.
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Alex is a really nice bloke.
▪ gentleman formal a man – used as a very polite way of talking about a man:
an elderly gentleman
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Please could you serve this gentleman?
▪ boy a young male person, usually a child or a teenager:
a teenage boy
▪ lad old-fashioned informal a boy or young man:
When I was a young lad, I wanted to join the army.
▪ youth a teenage boy or young man – used especially in news reports to show disapproval:
Gangs of youths roam the streets.
▪ male formal a man – used especially by the police or in science and research contexts. The adjective male is much more common than the noun:
We are investigating the death of an unidentified male.
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The condition is usually found only in males.
▪ dude American English informal a man - a very informal use:
You could tell there was something creepy going on with that dude.