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
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
Watch Ferrari on Hulu Eileen Debuting at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, this psychological thriller set in 1960s Massachusetts centers on the titular Eileen (Thomasin McKenzie), a young secretary ostracized by her peers at a correctional facility for teenage boys.
—Hannah Kerns, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Almost four and a half hours later, the couple woke up to a breathless little boy.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2025
Acutis was a normal, popular boy with a good sense of humor, according to his mother, Antonia Salzano, who gave an interview ahead of the Miami exhibit in 2022 honoring the life of Acutis.
—Lauren Costantino
september 6, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Atypical Sweet Sam (Keir Gilchrist) is a teen boy on the autism spectrum ready to spread his wings.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Fans scrambled for the ball, including the young boy’s father, who walked away victorious.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Examples include a Brazilian boy who had his pancreatic malformation disappear in 2013.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
DeGeneres and de Rossi warmly greeted RH chairman and chief executive officer Gary Friedman and his wife Bella Hunter, as Friedman showed them photos of their baby boy on his phone.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2025
Shannon tells us that her daughter, Sophie, was really into a boy who broke up with her, but that meant Sophie made a surprise trip home to see her mom and stops by this very party where the women support her with their own terrible breakup stories.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 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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Hannah Kerns, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Almost four and a half hours later, the couple woke up to a breathless little boy.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2025
Acutis was a normal, popular boy with a good sense of humor, according to his mother, Antonia Salzano, who gave an interview ahead of the Miami exhibit in 2022 honoring the life of Acutis.
—Lauren Costantino
september 6, Miami Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Atypical Sweet Sam (Keir Gilchrist) is a teen boy on the autism spectrum ready to spread his wings.
—Toni Fitzgerald, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Fans scrambled for the ball, including the young boy’s father, who walked away victorious.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Examples include a Brazilian boy who had his pancreatic malformation disappear in 2013.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
DeGeneres and de Rossi warmly greeted RH chairman and chief executive officer Gary Friedman and his wife Bella Hunter, as Friedman showed them photos of their baby boy on his phone.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 5 Sep. 2025
Shannon tells us that her daughter, Sophie, was really into a boy who broke up with her, but that meant Sophie made a surprise trip home to see her mom and stops by this very party where the women support her with their own terrible breakup stories.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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