# fella

/ˈfɛɫə/ (US) · /fˈɛlɐ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/fella
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. a man or boy

noun · CEFR B1 · Informal

a casual word for a man or a boy.

For teachers: a colloquial term for a male person, equivalent to 'man', 'guy', or 'fellow'.

- He seems like a nice fella once you get to know him.
- The old fella at the corner shop has been selling newspapers to the local residents for over forty years.

### 2. a boyfriend or husband

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal · Dialect

a person's male partner, like a boyfriend or husband.

For teachers: a term used to refer to a woman's male romantic partner or spouse.

- Is she still seeing that fella she met at the wedding?
- She mentioned that her fella was planning a surprise trip for their anniversary, though she hadn't managed to extract any details yet.

### 3. online activist

noun · CEFR C1 · Slang

a person on the internet who supports Ukraine by fighting against Russian misinformation.

For teachers: a member of a decentralized online movement (NAFO) that uses memes and social media to counter Russian propaganda.

- The comment section was full of fellas posting dog memes to mock the official statement.
- The rise of the 'fella' as a digital combatant represents a shift in how information warfare is conducted by non-state actors during international conflicts.

## Examples

- He seems like a nice fella.
- I was talking to the fella at the garage, and he said the car would be ready by noon.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.