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 the Peacock series, Michael Chernus portrays the murderer who killed at least 33 boys and men in the 1970s.
—Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
His buddy on Friday was senior boys basketball and soccer player Luke Rost.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
In wrestling, Winter Springs and East River won district dual titles while Ocoee girls and Hagerty boys won big meets.
—Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
That’s when the hometown boy cashed in.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
The West Valley League boys’ soccer competition has been dominated by El Camino Real and Birmingham.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
Shea was always an Indiana boy.
—Stephanie Slifer, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
The energetic, fun-loving boy is also remembered for his love of collecting Hot Wheels and Legos.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2026
The technical execution of the project is thrilling, and so is the show’s depiction of how modern media affects the minds and actions of teenage boys.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 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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Brianne Tracy, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
His buddy on Friday was senior boys basketball and soccer player Luke Rost.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026
In wrestling, Winter Springs and East River won district dual titles while Ocoee girls and Hagerty boys won big meets.
—Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 Jan. 2026
That’s when the hometown boy cashed in.
—Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
The West Valley League boys’ soccer competition has been dominated by El Camino Real and Birmingham.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2026
Shea was always an Indiana boy.
—Stephanie Slifer, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026
The energetic, fun-loving boy is also remembered for his love of collecting Hot Wheels and Legos.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 3 Jan. 2026
The technical execution of the project is thrilling, and so is the show’s depiction of how modern media affects the minds and actions of teenage boys.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 6 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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