as in boy
a male person who has not yet reached adulthood
come over here, sonny, and help me clean up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sonny
Noun
-
His boys became obsessed with Spurs at a young age, leading McIntyre to start going to away matches and on pre-season tours in the early 2010s.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026 -
Just as Shirley Cabey had rushed into Manhattan upon learning that Darrell had been shot, so too had the other boys’ parents.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That money is reserved for kids who live in ZIP codes with a median family income of $150,000 or less and who won't get the $1,000 seed money from the Treasury.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
But the dead kid’s eyes held her to the corner of 110th.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Five years ago in Placer County, Lavrenov was a thick-bodied lad before the weight room transformed his body.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
George Martin became the world’s most legendary producer with the Beatles, the studio wizard who teamed up with four lads from Liverpool to transform music.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The mark also set a record for most points by a teenager in NBA history, surpassing Cliff Robinson’s 45 points scored on March 9, 1980 — the same year Norm Sonju co-founded the Mavericks and just one year before the franchise drafted Aguirre with the first overall pick in 1981.—
Mike Curtis,
Dallas Morning News,
30 Jan. 2026
-
But one recent prospect ranking dropped an Elly comparison onto a teenager buried deep in the Phillies’ farm system.—
Anthony Stitt,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Sonny.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sonny. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
