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
Then, at the song’s end, Ethan’s contempt for Nick comes pouring out, and Andrew Barth Feldman plays this with just enough mean-boy panache to raise your chuckle to a giggle.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Nov. 2025
The resulting membership drive was successful beyond all expectations in signing up boys 7 and 17 years of age.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 2025
The teenager was a student at Regis High School, a Catholic all-boys school.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
In boys, these conditions can delay puberty and cause undescended testicles.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025
Some boys with muskets, circa Ye Olde America?
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2025
Young boys pushed bicycles laden with banana harvest up one hill and then another.
—Chris Wallace, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
Watch all 153 episodes of the original series, following Goku as a young boy through his battles with the Red Ribbon Army and King Piccolo.
—PC Magazine, 14 Nov. 2025
Gacy eventually confessed to killing dozens of young men and boys.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
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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Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Nov. 2025
The resulting membership drive was successful beyond all expectations in signing up boys 7 and 17 years of age.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Nov. 2025
The teenager was a student at Regis High School, a Catholic all-boys school.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 15 Nov. 2025
In boys, these conditions can delay puberty and cause undescended testicles.
—Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 14 Nov. 2025
Some boys with muskets, circa Ye Olde America?
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2025
Young boys pushed bicycles laden with banana harvest up one hill and then another.
—Chris Wallace, Travel + Leisure, 14 Nov. 2025
Watch all 153 episodes of the original series, following Goku as a young boy through his battles with the Red Ribbon Army and King Piccolo.
—PC Magazine, 14 Nov. 2025
Gacy eventually confessed to killing dozens of young men and boys.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 16 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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