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
Jon Ruben, a 76-year-old retired British veterinarian, was sentenced to 23 years and 10 months in prison on charges of child abuse after drugging boys with sedative-laden candy last year at a summer camp in England.
—Arkansas Online, 7 Feb. 2026
This beautiful boy is longing for love.
—Journal Staff, The Providence Journal, 7 Feb. 2026
Marist and Greater Atlanta Christian swept boys and girls swimming and diving championships Thursday at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center while Midtown junior Sarah Paisley Owen continued to build on one of the strongest high school resumes in state history.
—Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Two boys discover another schoolmate detained Over the next several weeks, as Elizabeth languished in detention, at least six other children from her school district made the same cross-country journey from Minnesota to the Dilley detention center, Stuenkel said.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Argueta took the hand of the youngest child, a boy in prekindergarten, and led the group outside.
—Bianca Vázquez Toness, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
The joey, a boy with a pink nose, was born in late July, according to a Thursday post from the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Teen multivitamins are designed for boys and girls separately.
—Pubsubhub User, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Their kids, meanwhile — teenage Ída and twin boys Grímur and Þorgils (the trio played by director Pálmason’s own children) — exhibit a healthy absorption of the circumstances, meeting moments of togetherness with plenty of humor and spirit.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 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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Arkansas Online, 7 Feb. 2026
This beautiful boy is longing for love.
—Journal Staff, The Providence Journal, 7 Feb. 2026
Marist and Greater Atlanta Christian swept boys and girls swimming and diving championships Thursday at Georgia Tech’s McAuley Aquatic Center while Midtown junior Sarah Paisley Owen continued to build on one of the strongest high school resumes in state history.
—Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Two boys discover another schoolmate detained Over the next several weeks, as Elizabeth languished in detention, at least six other children from her school district made the same cross-country journey from Minnesota to the Dilley detention center, Stuenkel said.
—Holly Yan, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Argueta took the hand of the youngest child, a boy in prekindergarten, and led the group outside.
—Bianca Vázquez Toness, Fortune, 6 Feb. 2026
The joey, a boy with a pink nose, was born in late July, according to a Thursday post from the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 6 Feb. 2026
Teen multivitamins are designed for boys and girls separately.
—Pubsubhub User, Chicago Tribune, 6 Feb. 2026
Their kids, meanwhile — teenage Ída and twin boys Grímur and Þorgils (the trio played by director Pálmason’s own children) — exhibit a healthy absorption of the circumstances, meeting moments of togetherness with plenty of humor and spirit.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
