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
In boys wrestling, Gateway and Winter Springs won district titles, while Montverde girls soccer advance to the 3a state championship game.
—Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
As a boy, James Van Der Beek was sports mad and dreamed of playing in the Superbowl, said The Times.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
Honig is starting to prepare his two girls and one boy for future basketball competitions.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Little boys dressed like a prey animal get treated like one.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Enter Sheila, a street magician blackballed by the local boys club who wows Lincoln with her tips-only act.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
Olympians Angela Ruggiero and Julie Chu came from Choate in the 1990s, so when Knight, who was born in Idaho and began playing hockey on boys teams as the family moved to Illinois and then New Hampshire, was ready for prep school.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2026
An argument ensued and a person in the car shot at both boys.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
Previously accused of running over boy’s foot Ball was accused in a civil lawsuit of running over a 12-year-old boy’s foot in October 2023 near the Spectrum Center.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 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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Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Feb. 2026
As a boy, James Van Der Beek was sports mad and dreamed of playing in the Superbowl, said The Times.
—The Week Uk, TheWeek, 20 Feb. 2026
Honig is starting to prepare his two girls and one boy for future basketball competitions.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Little boys dressed like a prey animal get treated like one.
—Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026
Enter Sheila, a street magician blackballed by the local boys club who wows Lincoln with her tips-only act.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 20 Feb. 2026
Olympians Angela Ruggiero and Julie Chu came from Choate in the 1990s, so when Knight, who was born in Idaho and began playing hockey on boys teams as the family moved to Illinois and then New Hampshire, was ready for prep school.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 20 Feb. 2026
An argument ensued and a person in the car shot at both boys.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 20 Feb. 2026
Previously accused of running over boy’s foot Ball was accused in a civil lawsuit of running over a 12-year-old boy’s foot in October 2023 near the Spectrum Center.
—Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
