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
Pandora's death occurred two-and-a-half years after Louise had a stillborn baby boy, Cruze Vinnie, at 29 weeks in September 2023.
—Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Ishaq has made a film peopled with women and boys who go beyond simple archetypes, setting joyful female solidarity against omnipresent conflict in a way designed to communicate with a broad demographic.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 May 2026
Small, who was a student at Lewis and an assistant freshman boys volleyball coach at Marist in 2011 when the Knights last won a conference title, is having fun in his first year at the helm.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
Instant add to cart, times two, so both my boys will be comfortable.
—Cecily McAndrews, Parents, 22 May 2026
The first surgery patient that day was a little boy with an abscess on his rear end.
—Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
The son, Ruben, meets a homeless boy who wants to have his own family while on his journey.
—Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Police learned that a seemingly healthy boy was unexpectedly found in medical distress inside a private hospital room within the maternity ward.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 20 May 2026
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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Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
And Jude isn’t above including a mocking slow-motion shot of a spoiled French boy totally whiffing a soccer kick.
—Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 22 May 2026
Ishaq has made a film peopled with women and boys who go beyond simple archetypes, setting joyful female solidarity against omnipresent conflict in a way designed to communicate with a broad demographic.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 22 May 2026
Small, who was a student at Lewis and an assistant freshman boys volleyball coach at Marist in 2011 when the Knights last won a conference title, is having fun in his first year at the helm.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2026
Instant add to cart, times two, so both my boys will be comfortable.
—Cecily McAndrews, Parents, 22 May 2026
The first surgery patient that day was a little boy with an abscess on his rear end.
—Kansas City Star, 22 May 2026
The son, Ruben, meets a homeless boy who wants to have his own family while on his journey.
—Miami Herald, 20 May 2026
Police learned that a seemingly healthy boy was unexpectedly found in medical distress inside a private hospital room within the maternity ward.
—Joe Brandt, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
