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
Now safe, sleek and healthy, Toothless has blossomed into a happy, outgoing boy with soft fur and sweet meows.
—Maryanne Dell, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
One hundred boys must keep a steady pace of four miles per hour day and night, without ever stopping.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Francis was leading from a place of unification and camaraderie where all of these boys, Stebbins included, don’t want to see each other falter and don’t want to see each other die.
—Leia Mendoza, Variety, 13 Sep. 2025
Invite boys to not just listen to you, but to talk back to you and share what’s going on in their lives.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
And the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine recently sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT coached the California boy in planning and taking his own life earlier this year.
—Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
The Long Walk takes place in a disillusioned America that is entertained by a competition called The Long Walk— a challenge in which 50 teenage boys walk continuously without rest.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
Rather than let his boy be torn apart by terrible creatures in the mist, David uses a gun to mercy-kill them all and screams in anguish because there isn't a bullet left for him.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
This s—t happened because of you, my boy.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
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.
Maryanne Dell, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
One hundred boys must keep a steady pace of four miles per hour day and night, without ever stopping.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Francis was leading from a place of unification and camaraderie where all of these boys, Stebbins included, don’t want to see each other falter and don’t want to see each other die.
—Leia Mendoza, Variety, 13 Sep. 2025
Invite boys to not just listen to you, but to talk back to you and share what’s going on in their lives.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 13 Sep. 2025
And the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine recently sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, alleging that ChatGPT coached the California boy in planning and taking his own life earlier this year.
—Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 12 Sep. 2025
The Long Walk takes place in a disillusioned America that is entertained by a competition called The Long Walk— a challenge in which 50 teenage boys walk continuously without rest.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 12 Sep. 2025
Rather than let his boy be torn apart by terrible creatures in the mist, David uses a gun to mercy-kill them all and screams in anguish because there isn't a bullet left for him.
—James Grebey, Time, 12 Sep. 2025
This s—t happened because of you, my boy.
—Angel Diaz, Billboard, 12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share