boy

noun

ˈbȯi 

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

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

c

: an immature male

separate the men from the boys

a boy genius

d

: a male romantic partner : boyfriend, beau

2

a

: a man or boy native to a given place

a local boy

b

: man, person

the boys at the office

c

—used interjectionally to express intensity of feeling

Boy, what a game!

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

4

: 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

Jean Greening greets the birds in the aviary with whistles, kissing noises, and the phrase, "Who's a pretty boy?"

—Current Science

5

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.

boyhood

ˈbȯi-ˌhu̇d 

noun

boyish

ˈbȯi-ish 

adjective

boyishly adverb

boyishness noun

Synonyms of boy

• kid
• teenager
• lad
• adolescent
• toddler

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 parents of a 7-year-old Michigan boy whose weight ballooned to 255 pounds due to a steady diet of chips, French fries and apple juice are accused of killing their son. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026

The summer camps of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were primarily for white, Protestant, middle- and upper-class boys from Northeastern cities. — Derek H. Alderman, The Conversation, 26 June 2026

When the director was a young boy living in a small Estonian town, a person with an intellectual disability died after tragically falling under a train. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 26 June 2026

Investigators believe the man targeted underage boys in multiple Georgia counties between February 2024 and March 2026. — Dan Raby, CBS News, 26 June 2026

The three boys gave statements with conflicting details, the attorney said. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026

The vice president and second lady are expecting her fourth child, a boy due in July. — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 26 June 2026

Yet in America, a young boy raised by a determined mother who insisted on education, discipline and faith was able to become a physician, a neurosurgeon, a medical innovator, a Cabinet secretary and a candidate for the highest office in the land. — Ben Carson, Baltimore Sun, 26 June 2026

Lagos points out that boys’ flag football participants would be different from 11-man. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 5a

Phrases Containing boy

• altar boy
• a wisp of a girl/boy
• bad boy
• ball boy
• barrow boy
• b-boy
• best boy
• big boy
• boy band
• boy friend
• boy howdy
• boy shorts
• boy toy
• boy wonder
• cabin boy
• chorus boy
• delivery boy
• errand boy
• frat boy
• girl/boy crazy
• glamour boy
• good ol' boy
• good old boy
• good ole boy
• head boy
• lover boy
• mama's boy
• office boy
• old boy
• old boy network
• page boy
• poor boy
• poster boy
• pretty boy
• roaring boy
• soy boy
• stable boy
• stock boy
• tall boy
• teddy boy
• that's a good boy/girl/dog (etc.)
• the boy/girl next door
• toy boy
• water boy
• whipping boy
• wide boy

Rhymes for boy

• choy
• coy
• croy
• foy
• hoi
• hoy
• joy
• loy
• oy
• ploy
• soy
• toy

Kids Definition

boy

noun

ˈbȯi 

1

: a male child from birth to young manhood

2

: son sense 1a

boyhood

-ˌhu̇d 

noun

boyish

-ish 

adjective

boyishly adverb

boyishness noun