boyfriend

noun

boy·​friend ˈbȯi-ˌfrend How to pronounce boyfriend (audio)
Synonyms of boyfriendnext
1
: a frequent or regular male companion in a romantic or sexual relationship
2
usually boy friend dated : a friend who is a boy
often, specifically : a male friend from childhood
… was a boy friend of [Abraham] Lincoln in Kentucky … Joseph Medill, quoted in McClure's Magazine

Examples of boyfriend in a Sentence

My boyfriend and I have only been dating for a couple of months. her boyfriend always brings her flowers for Valentine's Day
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Not like my boyfriend’s family’s doorbell, with its complicated, seven-tone church melody that gives you spiritual chills and causes you to quiver excitedly. Literary Hub, 8 June 2026 In the present day, Rashid is revealed to be not human but the 500-year-old vampire Armand, Louis’s boyfriend and a master manipulator far more skilled than Lestat. Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 7 June 2026 And Buffy is enrolled in Sunnydale’s local college, preoccupied with a hot new (human) boyfriend and her brilliant psychology professor. ArsTechnica, 7 June 2026 An argument over rent money ended violently for a Miami Beach woman when her ex-boyfriend strangled her, held her against her will and threatened to throw her out of a window from their third-floor apartment, police say. Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for boyfriend

Word History

First Known Use

1822, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of boyfriend was in 1822

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Cite this Entry

“Boyfriend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boyfriend. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

boyfriend

noun
boy·​friend ˈbȯi-ˌfrend How to pronounce boyfriend (audio)
1
: a male friend
2
: a frequent or regular male companion in a romantic relationship

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