What does "faggot" mean?
A bundle of sticks or brushwood intended to be used for fuel tied together for carrying. (Some sources specify that a faggot is tied with two bands or withes, whereas a bavin is tied with just one.)
Faggot
noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·2 syllables ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A bundle of sticks or brushwood intended to be used for fuel tied together for carrying. (Some sources specify that a faggot is tied with two bands or withes, whereas a bavin is tied with just one.)
- Grammar: faggot is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: auntie, bi-guy, bind, bisexual.
- Useful contrasts: compliment, defend, loose sticks.
- Usage evidence: Inge's mother was sitting on a stone to rest, with a faggot of sticks lying before her, which she had picked up in the wood.
How to use "faggot"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "faggot" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "faggot" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "faggot" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "faggot" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "faggot" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "auntie" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "faggot", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A bundle of sticks or brushwood intended to be used for fuel tied together for carrying. (Some sources specify that a faggot is tied with two bands or withes, whereas a bavin is tied with just one.) Ireland, UK, collective
"In the depth of, winter, however, a faggot of real French Sticks — although of little intrinsic value — may possibly enliven for a few moments an English Fireside."
- 2 a bundle of sticks and branches bound together wordnet
- 3 Burdensome baggage. obsolete
- 4 offensive term for a homosexual man wordnet
- 5 A bundle of pieces of iron or steel cut off into suitable lengths for welding.
Show 10 more definitions
- 6 A burning or smouldering piece of firewood. dated, rare
"He clambered back on his feet and grinned at them. The waning faggot cast red light over his fangs."
- 7 A meatball made with offcuts and offal, especially pork. (See Wikipedia.) Ireland, UK
"Today would be faggots in gravy and chocolate pudding with a white sauce. I didn't like faggots but picked at them and rolled the peas around my plate."
- 8 A gay man, especially an effeminate one. offensive, vulgar
"Drag, Example: “All the fagots (sissies) will be dressed in drag at the ball tonight."
- 9 A non-heterosexual man. broadly, offensive, vulgar
- 10 A man considered effeminate. Canada, US, derogatory, offensive, vulgar
- 11 An annoying or inconsiderate person. Canada, US, derogatory, offensive, vulgar
- 12 A shrewish woman. Ireland, UK, colloquial, dated, derogatory, offensive
"I appoynt thée no more continencie, than to eate while thy bellie is full, nor conſtancie, but to brawle rather than burne: a filbert is better than a faggot, except it be an Athenian ſhe handfull: you know that Coſmoſophos, euer ſince your laſt mariage, how doth the father of your ſonne in law?"
- 13 A soldier numbered on the muster roll, but not really existing. obsolete, offensive, possibly
- 14 A faggot voter. Ireland, UK, historical, offensive, possibly
"The Glasgow Herald thought that his attack on the faggots was too serious […]"
- 15 A lazy, weak, work-shy person. Ireland, UK, dated, offensive, slang
Verb
- 1 Alternative form of fagot. alt-of, alternative
- 2 bind or tie up in or as if in a faggot wordnet
- 3 fasten together rods of iron in order to heat or weld them wordnet
- 4 ornament or join (fabric) by faggot stitch wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"Inge's mother was sitting on a stone to rest, with a faggot of sticks lying before her, which she had picked up in the wood."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "faggot"?
Common synonyms include: auntie, bi-guy, bind, bisexual, bull dyke, bundle.
How do you use "faggot" in a sentence?
Inge's mother was sitting on a stone to rest, with a faggot of sticks lying before her, which she had picked up in the wood.
Etymology
From Middle English fagot, from Old French fagot (“bundle of sticks”), of uncertain origin. Unlikely from Old Occitan fagot or Italian fagotto, as these appear later than the Old French term. Compare also Italian fangotto and Spanish fajo (“bundle, wad”). Perhaps from a diminutive of Vulgar Latin *facus, from Ancient Greek φάκελος (phákelos, “bundle of wood”). The senses relating to persons, though possibly originating as an extension of the sense "bundle of sticks", may have been reinforced by faygele, from Yiddish פֿייגעלע (feygele, “homosexual”, literally “little bird”), related to English fowl.