boyfriend

noun

ˈbȯi-ˌfrend How to pronounce boyfriend (audio)
Definition of boyfriendnext
as in beau
a male romantic companion her boyfriend always brings her flowers for Valentine's Day

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of boyfriend Actor and comedian Julio Torres also brings a lively presence to his few scenes as Alberto’s boyfriend. — Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026 Caylen Deller, 32, was charged with first-degree murder in the September 2024 death of Chad Mullen, her on-again and off-again boyfriend. — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026 Thao, her boyfriend Andre Jones, local businessman David Duong, and his son Andy Duong face federal charges a wide-ranging indictment alleging bribery, mail and wire fraud, and conspiracy. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026 Fresno police arrived to find Gonzalez in handcuffs placed by the woman’s boyfriend, an off-duty police officer also there at the time. — Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for boyfriend
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boyfriend
  1. beau
  2. boy
  3. husband
Noun
  • The Tennessee native married her Teen Mom costar and longtime beau Taylor McKinney in October 2016.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Still, Kardashian will reportedly continue showing up for her new beau.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of beau
Noun
  • Linda Sanchez is the mother of the first-grade boy who hid under the table with his teacher.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The film ends in 1997 with a young African boy fleeing persecution into the same theater, drawing a parallel between past and present.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of boy
Noun
  • Sydney Gibson Churilla, 32 at the time, was driving home from a family vacation to Orlando and Disneyland with her husband and their two daughters when the news came on the radio.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The family was able to enroll Hudson in a health plan through Critzer's husband's workplace, which has a 60-day enrollment window.
    — Stephanie O'Neill, NPR, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of husband

Browse Nearby Words

boycotts
boyfriend
boyfriends
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Boyfriend.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boyfriend. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All