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
Cardoso de Oliveira was 40 years old, Ramos Pinto was 38, and their two young boys were 3 months old and 20 months old.
—Da Lin, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
Vandegrift and Bowie boys soccer faced off in the 6A district II UIL bi-district playoffs at Burger Stadium in Austin, Friday, resulting in the Vipers winning 1-0.
—Mikala Compton, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Like in the game, Lev (Kratter) is a 13-year-old transgender boy.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
The senior scored 15 points and made a pivotal steal late in the game as the Explorers (26-6) edged Sarasota 53-50 for their fifth consecutive state title in the FHSAA Class 7A boys’ state final at UNF Arena in Jacksonville.
—James Varsallone, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
His mother later moved the family of three boys to Torrance, California.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Dorgan scored the game-tying goal for Blackstone Valley Schools with less than a minute left in the third period against Lincoln High School in the Division 2 boys’ state championship.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
First, girls and boys of all ages were extra concerned about not fitting in with their gender group.
—Adam Stanaland, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
This is The Dallas Morning News’ coverage of the bi-district round of the UIL boys and girls soccer playoffs.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 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.
Send us feedback.
Da Lin, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
Vandegrift and Bowie boys soccer faced off in the 6A district II UIL bi-district playoffs at Burger Stadium in Austin, Friday, resulting in the Vipers winning 1-0.
—Mikala Compton, Austin American Statesman, 20 Mar. 2026
Like in the game, Lev (Kratter) is a 13-year-old transgender boy.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 20 Mar. 2026
The senior scored 15 points and made a pivotal steal late in the game as the Explorers (26-6) edged Sarasota 53-50 for their fifth consecutive state title in the FHSAA Class 7A boys’ state final at UNF Arena in Jacksonville.
—James Varsallone, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026
His mother later moved the family of three boys to Torrance, California.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
Dorgan scored the game-tying goal for Blackstone Valley Schools with less than a minute left in the third period against Lincoln High School in the Division 2 boys’ state championship.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
First, girls and boys of all ages were extra concerned about not fitting in with their gender group.
—Adam Stanaland, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026
This is The Dallas Morning News’ coverage of the bi-district round of the UIL boys and girls soccer playoffs.
—Ishmael Johnson, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
