lads

lads — noun

1. boys or young men, especially when people are talking about them in an everyday

1.名詞B1
釋義

boys or young men, especially when people are talking about them in an everyday British way

例句

Two lads were kicking a ball around the empty car park after school.

everyday scene with a group of boys

The museum guide asked the lads to leave their wet shoes outside.

the lads as a direct object in a routine instruction

同義詞
  • boys

    more general and can refer to younger children than lads usually does

  • young men

    more neutral and less informal than lads

  • teenagers

    age-specific; lads can also include men in their early twenties

反義詞
  • girls

    parallel word for female children or young women in similar contexts

文法句型

two lads

the lads from school

a group of lads

用法筆記

Usually refers to older boys or young men rather than very small children. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense points to age, while sense 2 is a friendly way of addressing or referring to men as a group.

常見錯誤

❌The lads in the nursery are only three years old.
✅The boys in the nursery are only three years old.
💡lad usually suggests older boys or young men, not very small children.

2. used as a casual, friendly way to speak to or talk about a group of men

2.名詞B2
釋義

used as a casual, friendly way to speak to or talk about a group of men

例句

The barman shouted, 'Come on, lads, the quiz starts in two minutes!'

come on, lads as direct spoken address

The old taxi driver called us lads and asked where we were headed.

call + object + lads

同義詞
  • guys

    broader and especially common in American English

  • blokes

    also British and informal, but usually talks about men rather than addressing them

  • fellows

    friendlier and slightly more old-fashioned in many contexts

文法句型

come on, lads

morning, lads

the lads from work

用法筆記

Mainly British and informal. It is common in speech between men, in sports teams, or in friendly workplace talk, but it sounds too casual in formal writing or official statements.

常見錯誤

❌The report concluded that the lads had violated the contract.
✅The report concluded that the men had violated the contract.
💡lad is too informal for formal or legal-style writing unless you are quoting someone's speech.