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
In the meantime, other boys are calling her.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
As boys become teenagers, the pituitary gland in the brain triggers the production of testosterone.
—Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
One had injuries that were not life-threatening, and the other boy, who was in critical condition, later died, Fernandez said.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 4 Oct. 2025
In 1909, just a few days after their mother, Sara, gave birth to Daniel, one of these boys, four-year-old George, fell to his death while playing on the roof of their tenement building on the Lower East Side.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
As a young boy, Cashel learned to play traditional Irish music on the fiddle, which molded the trajectory of his schooling and early career.
—Alyssa Davis, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
After escaping the Grabber’s (Ethan Hawke) clutches and putting his killing spree to a permanent end in The Black Phone, Finney investigates a winter camp with his younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who’s had visions of the killer stalking three young boys from beyond the grave.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
Sandu and his wife, Mercedes, 36, were already parents to two young boys—Luke, now five and Aaron, two—when their family plans suddenly changed.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Those boys must have a sense of humor.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 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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Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2025
As boys become teenagers, the pituitary gland in the brain triggers the production of testosterone.
—Shiv Sudhakar, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025
One had injuries that were not life-threatening, and the other boy, who was in critical condition, later died, Fernandez said.
—Wren Smetana, AZCentral.com, 4 Oct. 2025
In 1909, just a few days after their mother, Sara, gave birth to Daniel, one of these boys, four-year-old George, fell to his death while playing on the roof of their tenement building on the Lower East Side.
—David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025
As a young boy, Cashel learned to play traditional Irish music on the fiddle, which molded the trajectory of his schooling and early career.
—Alyssa Davis, PEOPLE, 4 Oct. 2025
After escaping the Grabber’s (Ethan Hawke) clutches and putting his killing spree to a permanent end in The Black Phone, Finney investigates a winter camp with his younger sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw), who’s had visions of the killer stalking three young boys from beyond the grave.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
Sandu and his wife, Mercedes, 36, were already parents to two young boys—Luke, now five and Aaron, two—when their family plans suddenly changed.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Those boys must have a sense of humor.
—Maggie Menderski, Louisville Courier Journal, 3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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