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Guy Very Common

Guy has 13 different meanings across 3 categories:

Noun · Verb · Proper Noun

Definitions
Noun
1

an informal term for a youth or man

"a nice guy"

"the guy's only doing it for some doll"

"the poor sod couldn't even buy a drink"

2

an effigy of Guy Fawkes that is burned on a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Day

"The kids dragged the old guy out to the square and set it alight just as the fireworks started."

Guy
3

a cable, wire, or rope that is used to brace something (especially a tent)

"I need to tighten up the guy before the wind blows our campsite away."

4

An effigy of a man burned on a bonfire on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot (5th November).

"The children ran past the bonfire to grab their sparklers and light the guy before it completely turned to ash."

5

A guide; a leader or conductor.

6

An effigy of Guy Fawkes burned on Bonfire Night

In plain English: A guy is simply a male person, often used casually to refer to any man or boy.

"My guy from work invited me to watch the game tonight."

Usage: Use "guy" to refer casually to a man or boy, especially in phrases like "guy next door." Do not use it when specifically discussing the effigy of Guy Fawkes burned during Bonfire Night.

Verb
1

subject to laughter or ridicule

"The satirists ridiculed the plans for a new opera house"

"The students poked fun at the inexperienced teacher"

"His former students roasted the professor at his 60th birthday"

2

steady or support with a guy wire or cable

"The Italians guyed the Tower of Pisa to prevent it from collapsing"

guy
3

To exhibit an effigy of Guy Fawkes around the 5th November.

"The crane operator carefully guyed the tall tower to ensure it remained stable during construction."

4

To equip with a support cable.

In plain English: To guy something means to secure it with ropes or cables so it stays in place.

"The construction crew guyed the antenna to prevent swaying in high winds."

Usage: As a verb, to guy means to secure an object like a tent or mast by attaching it to ropes or cables anchored to the ground. Use this term specifically when describing the act of stabilizing something tall or large against wind or movement.

Proper Noun
1

A male given name from the Germanic languages.

"The local news reported that a new highway was finally being built to connect Guy, Arkansas, with neighboring states."

2

A male given name from Hebrew.

3

A city in Arkansas.

Example Sentences
"My guy from work invited me to watch the game tonight." noun
"The construction crew guyed the antenna to prevent swaying in high winds." verb
"The guy didn't show up to the party even though he promised he would." verb
See Also
fellow man effigy guys gal male wyatt outjie
Related Terms
Broader Terms (hypernyms)
man effigy brace mock
Narrower Terms (hyponyms)
tease satirize debunk stultify

Origin

The word "guy" originally referred to Guy Fawkes, the English Catholic executed for his role in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Its meaning later broadened through semantic widening to refer to any man or male friend.

Rhyming Words
merguy tanguy plaguy bad guy wiseguy mamaguy gay guy everyguy transguy heydeguy that guy wise guy good guy nice guy cool guy fall guy tough guy young guy cable guy timenoguy
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