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
Having two boys is going to be a little crazy.
—Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 20 June 2026
Now a dad to twin boys himself, Drummer passes along that lesson to his children, adding a reminder to keep God first.
—Yolanda Harris, AJC.com, 19 June 2026
The dance goes on for most of the movie, with Naim — who possesses all the naïveté of a teenage boy in love — continuing to hope the person in front of him is the real Ryan.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026
One boy, who doesn’t appear to have any friends, all of a sudden is stunned when one of the Buzz Lightyear drones flies down to him.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Girls who like girls who like boys who are cousins who ride dragons … or however that song goes.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Orson Welles once said that making a movie is the biggest electric train set a boy could have.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
The twin boys’ parents claim Busfield made inappropriate contact with their sons between November 2022 and the spring of 2024.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026
Some type of accident occurred on the water, and all three boys drowned.
—Bobby J. Smith Ii, The Conversation, 18 June 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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Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 20 June 2026
Now a dad to twin boys himself, Drummer passes along that lesson to his children, adding a reminder to keep God first.
—Yolanda Harris, AJC.com, 19 June 2026
The dance goes on for most of the movie, with Naim — who possesses all the naïveté of a teenage boy in love — continuing to hope the person in front of him is the real Ryan.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 June 2026
One boy, who doesn’t appear to have any friends, all of a sudden is stunned when one of the Buzz Lightyear drones flies down to him.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026
Girls who like girls who like boys who are cousins who ride dragons … or however that song goes.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 19 June 2026
Orson Welles once said that making a movie is the biggest electric train set a boy could have.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
The twin boys’ parents claim Busfield made inappropriate contact with their sons between November 2022 and the spring of 2024.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 18 June 2026
Some type of accident occurred on the water, and all three boys drowned.
—Bobby J. Smith Ii, The Conversation, 18 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
