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
Bündchen, who shares son Benjamin, 16, and daughter Vivian, 13, with ex-husband Tom Brady, welcomed a baby boy with Valente earlier this year.
—Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente have tied the knot months after welcoming their baby boy.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
There is something so poignant about the scenes of Richard as a young boy in Whittier, cowed by his bitterly angry father and desperate to please his intensely religious mother, who is played with cold grace by Mary Steenburgen.
—Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 20 Dec. 2025
Three boys and three girls with their own minds, curiosities, and insecurities, growing up in a very different social landscape.
—Jessica Shyba, SELF, 19 Dec. 2025
Black men and boys are 6% of the population but more than half of homicide victims.
—Fred Clasen-Kelly, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
His boys resist their impulses and core traits, but can never be successful for long in that rebellion.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Sacco traces the origins of the riot back to the murder of a Muslim boy by two Jats, who were then killed by a crowd in the village of Kawal.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
During his sophomore year of high school, White moved to the exclusive Cranbrook School, an all-boys' boarding school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, outside Detroit.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 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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Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Gisele Bündchen and Joaquim Valente have tied the knot months after welcoming their baby boy.
—Janelle Ash, FOXNews.com, 20 Dec. 2025
There is something so poignant about the scenes of Richard as a young boy in Whittier, cowed by his bitterly angry father and desperate to please his intensely religious mother, who is played with cold grace by Mary Steenburgen.
—Tim Greiving, HollywoodReporter, 20 Dec. 2025
Three boys and three girls with their own minds, curiosities, and insecurities, growing up in a very different social landscape.
—Jessica Shyba, SELF, 19 Dec. 2025
Black men and boys are 6% of the population but more than half of homicide victims.
—Fred Clasen-Kelly, USA Today, 19 Dec. 2025
His boys resist their impulses and core traits, but can never be successful for long in that rebellion.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 18 Dec. 2025
Sacco traces the origins of the riot back to the murder of a Muslim boy by two Jats, who were then killed by a crowd in the village of Kawal.
—Robert Rubsam, The Atlantic, 18 Dec. 2025
During his sophomore year of high school, White moved to the exclusive Cranbrook School, an all-boys' boarding school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, outside Detroit.
—Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 23 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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