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
Police in the northern Twin Cities metro are investigating a shooting that seriously injured a boy Friday afternoon.
—Wcco Staff, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Another example is last month’s boys basketball state tournament.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Teen boys might think an AI girlfriend solves their immediate problems—no awkward small talk, no rejection, no risking embarrassment.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
Recently, her mother showed her a video of a young boy being detained.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
The organization was co-founded by Meghan’s close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen, who gave birth to a baby boy on March 26, four years after losing her son, George, to COVID-19 and viral meningitis at age 9.
—Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Their little brother Dante is an irresponsible party boy, tangled up with a ruthless local gang.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
—Miami Herald Staff Reports, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
The study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Elevidys versus placebo over 72 weeks in roughly 100 boys at the early stages of the disease.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 16 Apr. 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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Wcco Staff, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Another example is last month’s boys basketball state tournament.
—Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2026
Teen boys might think an AI girlfriend solves their immediate problems—no awkward small talk, no rejection, no risking embarrassment.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2026
Recently, her mother showed her a video of a young boy being detained.
—Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
The organization was co-founded by Meghan’s close friend Kelly McKee Zajfen, who gave birth to a baby boy on March 26, four years after losing her son, George, to COVID-19 and viral meningitis at age 9.
—Helen Murphy, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
Their little brother Dante is an irresponsible party boy, tangled up with a ruthless local gang.
—Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2026
Jim Varsallone writes a high school sports column twice a week, featuring top performers in all varsity sports (boys and girls) in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
—Miami Herald Staff Reports, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
The study will evaluate the safety and efficacy of Elevidys versus placebo over 72 weeks in roughly 100 boys at the early stages of the disease.
—Andrew Joseph, STAT, 16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 20 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
