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
The trailer also includes footage from pivotal moments of conflict between Black and Jewish communities, including a clash in Crown Heights that led to the death of a young boy.
—Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
At Camp La Junta, a boys’ camp along the South Fork of the Guadalupe River, the desperation was just as immediate.
—Amanda Jackson, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025
Forget about 100 men vs one gorilla — what about three teenage boys vs one middle-aged comedian?
—Ew Staff December 5, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Dec. 2025
But the beloved Ghostface boys don’t get a scene together and their individual skill sets go to waste thanks to Tammi’s strangely timid direction.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
After years of mostly boys in the family, the arrival of a baby girl sparked a wave of excitement—and of course, some pink still slipped in.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
This means that while trans girls are now banned from joining, trans boys will still be eligible.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 5 Dec. 2025
The challenge of being a Black single mother bringing up two boys in a society that seemed to want to make going to prison a rite of passage for them.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Marissa’s husband, Peter (Jake Lacy), relies on his wife to answer basic questions about their son during a police interview; Jenny (Dakota Fanning), the mother of a boy in Milo’s class, has to leave an important work meeting when her husband can’t manage bedtime on his own.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 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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Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 5 Dec. 2025
At Camp La Junta, a boys’ camp along the South Fork of the Guadalupe River, the desperation was just as immediate.
—Amanda Jackson, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025
Forget about 100 men vs one gorilla — what about three teenage boys vs one middle-aged comedian?
—Ew Staff December 5, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Dec. 2025
But the beloved Ghostface boys don’t get a scene together and their individual skill sets go to waste thanks to Tammi’s strangely timid direction.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Dec. 2025
After years of mostly boys in the family, the arrival of a baby girl sparked a wave of excitement—and of course, some pink still slipped in.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
This means that while trans girls are now banned from joining, trans boys will still be eligible.
—Abby Monteil, Them., 5 Dec. 2025
The challenge of being a Black single mother bringing up two boys in a society that seemed to want to make going to prison a rite of passage for them.
—Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 5 Dec. 2025
Marissa’s husband, Peter (Jake Lacy), relies on his wife to answer basic questions about their son during a police interview; Jenny (Dakota Fanning), the mother of a boy in Milo’s class, has to leave an important work meeting when her husband can’t manage bedtime on his own.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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