plural boys
often attributive
1
a(1)
: a male child from birth to adulthood
a ten-year-old boy
(2)
: a child whose gender identity is male
Author Kyle Lukoff told Newsweek, Call Me Max and other books in the series are about a young trans boy figuring out who he is, making new friends, and sharing about himself with his family and community.—
Samantha Lock
Samantha Lock
b
: son
My older boy just got married.
Even though it made them uncomfortable to have their boy talked about all over town, secretly, Nick's mom and dad were pleased.—Andrew Clements
Andrew Clements
c
: an immature male
separate the men from the boys
a boy genius
2
3
chiefly US slang
: a close male friend
Now, the receiver is getting a second chance, thanks to old friend Tom Brady. "Tom is my boy," [Antonio] Brown said Wednesday during his introductory video press conference in Tampa.—Michael Hurley
Michael Hurley4
: a male domesticated animal and especially a pet
Leo is a 2-year-old pit bull mix. … He loves receiving attention, getting pets and being told he is a good boy.—The Denver Post
The Denver PostJean Greening greets the birds in the aviary with whistles, kissing noises, and the phrase, "Who's a pretty boy?"—Current Science
Current Science5
a
dated, offensive
: a male servant or an enslaved man
b
disparaging + offensive
—used to address a man of color and especially a Black man
Note: The deeply offensive use of the word boy to address an adult man of color has a strong association with sense 5a and is a term expressive of racist condescension.
Examples of boy in a Sentence
It's a boy! She gave birth to a baby boy this morning.
a nine-year-old boy named David
Okay, boys and girls, it's time to play a game.
Is this your little boy?
That's my boy! Good job, Son.
a group of teenage boys
My parents want me to meet a nice boy and get married.
Don't be so hard on him. He's just a boy.
a poor boy from the north
Wait till the boys back home hear about this!
Recent Examples on the Web
Ezra, the 4-year-old Colton boy who dreams to one day be a police officer.
—Lesley Marin, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
In his first novel, Il salto con le aste (1989), Domenico Starnone presented two young boys determined to escape their turbulent Neapolitan backgrounds and assert themselves as free spirits and writers in the wider world.
—Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
But trains ran in the family; his father Claude Diridon worked in the railroad business in Dunsmuir when Rod was a boy.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
For example, research shows that adolescent boys are more susceptible to pressure for risk-taking behaviors than girls.
—Amy Morin, Parents, 3 Apr. 2026
The nonprofit, which provides media and technology ratings for families, polled 1,017 boys in July.
—Stephanie Dhue,sharon Epperson, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
The procession opened with a young boy waving a Mexican flag.
—Laura Turbay, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Lee has been a member of the now-24-member boy group NCT since its inception in 2016.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Richert, who spent seven seasons as sweet boy-next-door Harvey Kinkle, recently had a rare reunion with two of his former costars — including Sabrina Spellman herself, Melissa Joan Hart.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Lesley Marin, CBS News, 4 Apr. 2026
In his first novel, Il salto con le aste (1989), Domenico Starnone presented two young boys determined to escape their turbulent Neapolitan backgrounds and assert themselves as free spirits and writers in the wider world.
—Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
But trains ran in the family; his father Claude Diridon worked in the railroad business in Dunsmuir when Rod was a boy.
—Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2026
For example, research shows that adolescent boys are more susceptible to pressure for risk-taking behaviors than girls.
—Amy Morin, Parents, 3 Apr. 2026
The nonprofit, which provides media and technology ratings for families, polled 1,017 boys in July.
—Stephanie Dhue,sharon Epperson, CNBC, 3 Apr. 2026
The procession opened with a young boy waving a Mexican flag.
—Laura Turbay, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Lee has been a member of the now-24-member boy group NCT since its inception in 2016.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2026
Richert, who spent seven seasons as sweet boy-next-door Harvey Kinkle, recently had a rare reunion with two of his former costars — including Sabrina Spellman herself, Melissa Joan Hart.
—Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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