variants or b-boy
plural B-boys or b-boys
: a boy or man who adopts the pursuits or styles of hip-hop culture
Recalling the time when he would sit in his bedroom window in the Bronx and play his turntables, he [Kool Herc] said, "I just wanted the kids to have fun. I never knew what I did would turn out like this. I guess you can call me the oldest B-boy."James T. Jones IV
often : a boy or man who is a breakdancer
Ken Swift, who is recognized by many b-boys and b-girls as the quintessential b-boy, mentioned that on the way to developing or innovating what became known as breaking, youth in his community were inspired by gymnastics and martial arts films … E. Moncell Durden

Examples of B-boy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Even legendary B-boy Crazy Legs, of The Rock Steady Crew, shared his opinion on her viral routine. Amber Corrine, VIBE.com, 15 Aug. 2024 Furthermore, the attention on its athletes — known as B-boys and B-girls — has increased tremendously since Paris. Skyler Caruso, Peoplemag, 14 Aug. 2024 The B-boy who did more within the 60-second time limit would win almost every time. Dvora Meyers, WIRED, 9 Aug. 2024 Recently, that took her all the way to the Paris Olympics, where 32 athletes – known as B-boys and B-girls – were competing at the Games for the first time. George Ramsay, CNN, 12 Aug. 2024 Some dancers worry that this could tarnish the essence of the movement, a concern shared by many B-boys and B-girls leading up to breaking’s Olympic debut. Celia Ford, Vox, 10 Aug. 2024 With the sport of breaking — don’t call it breakdancing — set to debut at the 2024 Summer Games this week, the Los Angeles B-boy hopes to win gold while also scoring points in the court of public opinion. David Wharton, Los Angeles Times, 9 Aug. 2024 In Paris, the men’s and women’s breaking competitions will consist of a series of one-on-one battles, with each B-boy or B-girl trying to impress a panel of nine judges by executing a variety of moves. Rachel G Bowers, USA TODAY, 8 Aug. 2024 The big picture: For the first time in Olympic history, 32 breakers (16 B-boys and 16 B-girls) will compete in one-on-one battles. Shafaq Patel, Axios, 8 Aug. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'B-boy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

B, from beat entry 2, or alternatively from break entry 2 (in sense "solo instrumental passage") or breakbeat (in sense "sequence of breaks created by manually backing up the needle on two record turntables")

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of B-boy was in 1981

Dictionary Entries Near B-boy

Cite this Entry

“B-boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/B-boy. Accessed 21 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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