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 children's father was injured and transferred to a local hospital in Jalalabad, while the bodies of his wife and the children -- three boys and three girls between the ages of 4 and 15 -- were pulled from the rubble.
—Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Three years ago, their youngest child, a boy, was born in Miami with Down syndrome and gastroschisis, a rare condition in which a baby’s intestines, and sometimes other organs, develop outside the body, requiring specialized medical care.
—Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Palisades boys’ basketball returned home Thursday after 388 days of being displaced by the Palisades fire and crushed Fairfax 75-28 to remain undefeated in league play.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
In Peacock’s All Her Fault, a nanny from a rough background (Sophia Lillis) disappears with her rich employers’ little boy.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Earlier this month, the model shared another photo on her Instagram Stories of her musician husband holding onto his blonde-haired boy.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Anthony and Kate’s whereabouts are alluded to in the opening minutes of the season four premiere, as the Bridgerton family gushes over Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) baby boy, Elliott.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
He’s found a way to scramble enough of the structure of a boy-meets-girl romantic drama to thrill, if not leave a deep impression.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2026
At its best, the documentary functions as an act of deep listening and a step — however incomplete — toward reckoning with the harm done to three Black boys who deserved far better.
—Beandrea July, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Arkansas Online, 30 Jan. 2026
Three years ago, their youngest child, a boy, was born in Miami with Down syndrome and gastroschisis, a rare condition in which a baby’s intestines, and sometimes other organs, develop outside the body, requiring specialized medical care.
—Edwidge Danticat, New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2026
Palisades boys’ basketball returned home Thursday after 388 days of being displaced by the Palisades fire and crushed Fairfax 75-28 to remain undefeated in league play.
—Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 30 Jan. 2026
In Peacock’s All Her Fault, a nanny from a rough background (Sophia Lillis) disappears with her rich employers’ little boy.
—Judy Berman, Time, 30 Jan. 2026
Earlier this month, the model shared another photo on her Instagram Stories of her musician husband holding onto his blonde-haired boy.
—Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 29 Jan. 2026
Anthony and Kate’s whereabouts are alluded to in the opening minutes of the season four premiere, as the Bridgerton family gushes over Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) baby boy, Elliott.
—Olivia Singh, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
He’s found a way to scramble enough of the structure of a boy-meets-girl romantic drama to thrill, if not leave a deep impression.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Jan. 2026
At its best, the documentary functions as an act of deep listening and a step — however incomplete — toward reckoning with the harm done to three Black boys who deserved far better.
—Beandrea July, IndieWire, 29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
