boys

noun

plural of boy
1
as in kids
a male person who has not yet reached adulthood a giggling little boy ran by

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in boyfriends
a male romantic companion their teenaged daughter has a new boy, and she's just crazy about him

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 boys Republicans tried to use fear tactics (boys playing in girls sports, a burgeoning socialist/communist movement) on issues that most of us are against, not the real issues that concern Americans. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 8 Nov. 2026 Granison and teammate Asher Smith helped Wellington’s boys finish a school-best fourth at state last year before transferring to Jupiter, along with girls’ standout Veronica Metz. — Gary Curreri, Sun Sentinel, 8 Nov. 2026 The other boys involved were not injured and drove the victim to the hospital. — Harllie Stevenson, Idaho Statesman, 8 Nov. 2026 So at the end of the day, boys and girls were able to talk about it openly. — Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 7 Nov. 2026 One book tells the story of two boys who are thrown into a river and transform into salmon, sharing traditional knowledge and cultural teachings through the Nisenan language. — Conor McGill, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2026 Like many boys in Paris’s suburbs, Hugo Yimga-Moukouri had soccer dreams. — Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2026 Miles Teller plays the father of two teenage boys in Paper Tiger. — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2026 Little boys tossed a football back and forth along the street while parents watched, sharing food and conversations with those around them. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 1 Nov. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boys
  1. kids
  2. boyfriends
  3. teenagers
  4. beaux
  5. lads
  6. youths
Noun
  • Two kids inside a Detroit home during a fire late Saturday morning were evacuated from the residence by firefighters, according to the city's fire department.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • Set the scene Set right on Seven Mile Beach, the sprawling Ritz-Carlton property is a playground for global jetsetters, families with older kids, and even celebrated chefs during the hotel’s annual Cayman Cookout.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of kids
Noun
  • And, if so, what will happen to all those chatbot boyfriends?
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026
  • People’s responses were also colored by everyone suddenly having lawyers and managers and agents, wives, husbands, boyfriends, girlfriends, friends.
    — Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of boyfriends
Noun
  • Police say about 100 teenagers had gathered at a home on Carlton Road in West Babylon for a house party.
    — Digital Producer, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Since the ban went live, multiple studies, including by Australian regulator the eSafety Commissioner, have found that most of the country’s teenagers under the cutoff age continue to use social media.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of teenagers
Noun
  • So are their girlfriends and wives, who support their beaus in stadiums and at home.
    — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Despite some very not-so-subtle hints from yours truly, my past beaus have never gifted me a handbag on Valentine’s Day, either.
    — Michelle Baricevic, InStyle, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of beaux
Noun
  • How do two middle-class lads in ratty threads, who might very well have both been played by Robert Pattinson, fast-track an appointment with Jesus?
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Just as Annette Badland teased to Deadline, Mae’s shares come in clutch from beyond the grave at the Bi-Annual Shareholders’ Meeting, only attended by the three lads from the pub.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of lads
Noun
  • The novel begins with Percheron contemplating news of Field’s death, and proceeds to trace their youths, including their meeting, in 1807, when Field is humbled by Percheron’s virtuosity on the piano.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Two youths were spotted along the same stretch of track in Brooklyn hours later, a transit source told the Daily News.
    — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of youths

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Cite this Entry

“Boys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boys. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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