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
The directness with which the camera meets the eyes of the film’s subjects suggests compassion for their disfigurement and isolation (indeed, Farrokhzad adopted a boy from the colony), but there are no interviews.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
In November, the board granted parole to Gregory Lee Vogelsang, who was convicted in August 1999 of more than two dozen child molestation and kidnapping charges involving five boys.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The hurt kid became the class clown, the super friendly boy who was content to pal around with his buddies and leave applying himself to everyone else.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Bishop’s boys lacrosse program has become a mainstay in the CIF Open Division playoffs, making a title-game appearance in 2022 and back-to-back semifinal appearances in 2024 & 2025.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The idea is that in a society that has allegedly become hostile to men—male privilege coded as toxic masculinity, and so on—the only way for boys to gain an edge is to be handsome.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
The 8-episode first season charts the improbable ascent of Joe and Rose Kennedy and their nine children, including rebellious second son Jack, who struggles to escape the shadow of his golden boy older brother.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Every dope boy got elevation, but a good artist don’t ever leave what got them there.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
When a video of a young girl in Minnesota went viral because a boy at school told her girls can’t play football, the Glory took notice.
—Alexa Stone
updated March 27, Kansas City Star, 27 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.
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Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
In November, the board granted parole to Gregory Lee Vogelsang, who was convicted in August 1999 of more than two dozen child molestation and kidnapping charges involving five boys.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 27 Mar. 2026
The hurt kid became the class clown, the super friendly boy who was content to pal around with his buddies and leave applying himself to everyone else.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
Bishop’s boys lacrosse program has become a mainstay in the CIF Open Division playoffs, making a title-game appearance in 2022 and back-to-back semifinal appearances in 2024 & 2025.
—Clark Fahrenthold, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2026
The idea is that in a society that has allegedly become hostile to men—male privilege coded as toxic masculinity, and so on—the only way for boys to gain an edge is to be handsome.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 27 Mar. 2026
The 8-episode first season charts the improbable ascent of Joe and Rose Kennedy and their nine children, including rebellious second son Jack, who struggles to escape the shadow of his golden boy older brother.
—Denise Petski, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Every dope boy got elevation, but a good artist don’t ever leave what got them there.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2026
When a video of a young girl in Minnesota went viral because a boy at school told her girls can’t play football, the Glory took notice.
—Alexa Stone
updated March 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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