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
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
The unidentified female was bound and gagged and lying next to an unidentified young boy who appeared to be in a similar state.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
These teen boys were blackmailed online.
—Nancy Cutler, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
The only future David can imagine is finally no future, a life in which endless, promiscuous variety—each night a different, meaningless boy—offers no variety at all, in which everything can only ever be the same, the same, the same, the same.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Alexa Anglin, 36, and a mom of three boys, posted a reel on Instagram where Natalie Kennedy, 34, who has two daughters, is seen playing with Anglin's sons.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The fundamental economic inequality and the increasingly huge gap between the very wealthy and everybody else is really, really, really hurting boys’ psyche.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
The story follows a 12-year-old Palestinian boy living under occupation in the West Bank who risks his life to go to the beach in Tel Aviv.
—Mandalit Del Barco, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
All eyes were also on Israel, which picked Ophir Award winner The Sea about a Palestinian boy living in the West Bank.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
Aurora police fatally shot a teenage boy Thursday night who officers say threatened to open fire inside a gas station.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
These teen boys were blackmailed online.
—Nancy Cutler, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
The only future David can imagine is finally no future, a life in which endless, promiscuous variety—each night a different, meaningless boy—offers no variety at all, in which everything can only ever be the same, the same, the same, the same.
—Garth Greenwell, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025
Alexa Anglin, 36, and a mom of three boys, posted a reel on Instagram where Natalie Kennedy, 34, who has two daughters, is seen playing with Anglin's sons.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
The fundamental economic inequality and the increasingly huge gap between the very wealthy and everybody else is really, really, really hurting boys’ psyche.
—Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
The story follows a 12-year-old Palestinian boy living under occupation in the West Bank who risks his life to go to the beach in Tel Aviv.
—Mandalit Del Barco, NPR, 19 Sep. 2025
All eyes were also on Israel, which picked Ophir Award winner The Sea about a Palestinian boy living in the West Bank.
—Max Goldbart, Deadline, 19 Sep. 2025
Aurora police fatally shot a teenage boy Thursday night who officers say threatened to open fire inside a gas station.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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