lads

lads — noun

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

1.nounB1
Definition

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

Example

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

Common collocations
  • local lads
  • school lads
  • the lads from town
  • a group of lads
Synonyms
  • 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

Antonyms
  • girls

    parallel word for female children or young women in similar contexts

Grammar Patterns

two lads

the lads from school

a group of lads

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.nounB2
Definition

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

Example

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

Common collocations
  • come on, lads
  • morning, lads
  • the lads from work
  • all right, lads
Synonyms
  • 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

Grammar Patterns

come on, lads

morning, lads

the lads from work

Usage Note

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.

Common Mistakes

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.
Idioms

the lads

idiom

a man's usual group of male friends or teammates that he socializes, drinks, or plays sport with

On Fridays, Omar meets the lads at the pub after football practice.

Nico skipped the trip because the lads had planned a camping weekend without him.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Lad overlaps with boy, young man, guy, and fellow, but each word points to a slightly different picture. Boy is the broadest everyday word for a male child and can sound too young if you mean someone in his late teens or early twenties. Young man is more neutral and works well in careful speech or writing. Guy is broader still: it often means simply 'man' and is common in American English, so it does not suggest youth as strongly as lad. Fellow can mean 'man' too, but it sounds more old-fashioned or bookish in some contexts. Lad stays especially British and informal, and it often suggests a cheerful, ordinary young male in a school, sports, or local social setting.

boy ↗young manguy ↗fellow ↗

Etymology

Middle EnglishModern English

Lads is the plural of lad. Lad has been used in English since the Middle English period for a boy or young male servant, and later for a young man more generally. In modern British English it sounds casual and friendly, and the plural also developed the social phrase 'the lads' for a regular circle of male friends or teammates.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1