1
: a male person of any age between early boyhood and maturity : boy, youth
2

Examples of lad in a Sentence

Life was hard when I was a lad. Well, lad, I hope you won't make the same mistake again! He's a good lad at heart. They can't treat us like that, can they, lads?!
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At their gigs in London’s massive Wembley Stadium and in Manchester’s Heaton Park, lads cried and moshed and showered each other in beer and cider and more questionable liquids. Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2025 Poor lad got no sleep and probably came home with PTSD. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025 Not bad for a lad from Plaistow who just wanted to be Gary Cooper. Daniel Ross Goodman, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025 The tifo had been made before the club agreed to let their homegrown lad, born six miles from Villa Park, join Saturday’s opponents. Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for lad

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ladde

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lad was in the 14th century

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Cite this Entry

“Lad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lad. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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