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
Set on Christmas Eve, this adaptation of Chris Van Allsburg's beloved 1985 children's book follows a young boy whose waning belief in Santa Claus is reinvigorated after hopping on a magical train to the North Pole.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025
Born in Mexico City, Sisniega moved to Guadalajara as a young boy before relocating to Philadelphia at age 14.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Her father, Michael Riebe, who has worked in law enforcement, said Heather once volunteered to care for two young boys of a sheriff department detective who had lost her husband.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 8 Nov. 2025
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, 8 Nov. 2025
Gacy eventually confessed to killing dozens of young men and boys.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
The limited series ends with Marissa and Jenny watching their boys have a playdate.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
The two boys were close, Muna Ibrahim says.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 8 Nov. 2025
My main concern was leaving my boys, Brody, 10, and Frazer, eight.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 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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Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Nov. 2025
Born in Mexico City, Sisniega moved to Guadalajara as a young boy before relocating to Philadelphia at age 14.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2025
Her father, Michael Riebe, who has worked in law enforcement, said Heather once volunteered to care for two young boys of a sheriff department detective who had lost her husband.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 8 Nov. 2025
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, 8 Nov. 2025
Gacy eventually confessed to killing dozens of young men and boys.
—Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 8 Nov. 2025
The limited series ends with Marissa and Jenny watching their boys have a playdate.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
The two boys were close, Muna Ibrahim says.
—Scott Simon, NPR, 8 Nov. 2025
My main concern was leaving my boys, Brody, 10, and Frazer, eight.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 10 Nov. 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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