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
My boy Jonathan Taylor is killing it.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
The spirits of the three boys then help to defeat the Grabber and he's sent back to the abyss.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 18 Oct. 2025
Sports cards are also becoming more popular, particularly among teen boys, with NFL packs leading the charge.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
As legend goes, a young boy named Maurice Begere, who was staying at the hotel with his parents in the 1890s, fell ill and died in the guest room.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
Three teenage boys have been arrested in the killing of a Texas Marine veteran who was working as a rideshare driver to support his mother and sister, authorities said.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
In December 1978, Gacy confessed to kidnapping, raping and murdering dozens of boys and men, some as young as 14 years old, and hiding many of their bodies in a crawl space under the house.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Jim Varsallone Miami Herald 305-376-3621 Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
—Miami Herald Staff Reports, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Dolce & Gabbana has tapped San, a member of K-pop boy group ATEEZ, to be the luxury fashion house’s latest brand ambassador.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 17 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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James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Oct. 2025
The spirits of the three boys then help to defeat the Grabber and he's sent back to the abyss.
—Megan McCluskey, Time, 18 Oct. 2025
Sports cards are also becoming more popular, particularly among teen boys, with NFL packs leading the charge.
—Luke Fountain, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2025
As legend goes, a young boy named Maurice Begere, who was staying at the hotel with his parents in the 1890s, fell ill and died in the guest room.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2025
Three teenage boys have been arrested in the killing of a Texas Marine veteran who was working as a rideshare driver to support his mother and sister, authorities said.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2025
In December 1978, Gacy confessed to kidnapping, raping and murdering dozens of boys and men, some as young as 14 years old, and hiding many of their bodies in a crawl space under the house.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 18 Oct. 2025
Jim Varsallone Miami Herald 305-376-3621 Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
—Miami Herald Staff Reports, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
Dolce & Gabbana has tapped San, a member of K-pop boy group ATEEZ, to be the luxury fashion house’s latest brand ambassador.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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