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.
boy·hood
ˈbȯi-ˌhu̇d 
plural -s
1
: the state or period of being a boy
2
: boyish nature : boyishness
3
: boys
outstanding service to boyhood
Examples of boy in a Sentence
Noun (1)
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
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
6 July 2026
She’s spent most of her life in King’s Landing; raised young boys in King’s Landing.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 July 2026
Longer, thicker vocal folds vibrate more slowly, which is why a boy’s voice drops roughly an octave over adolescence while a girl’s drops only slightly.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2026
The Nationals’ Youth Baseball Academy in Southeast, a staple since 2013, is a wonderful venue for both boys’ baseball teams in middle and high schools, and for girls’ softball teams.
—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
4 July 2026
One boy, 12, succumbed to the heat and passed out, with EMS medics and police rushing to help him, according to PIX 11.
—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
4 July 2026
As a boy in the mid-1760s, George Forster traveled with his father deep into Russia.
—
Jenny Uglow,
The New York Review of Books,
4 July 2026
But both are concerned as heck about their missing boy, Carter, who is having some growing-up issues with his parents.
—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
After several agonizing days, the city fell, and the Dutch UN peacekeeping forces helped separate the women from the men and boys.
—
Janine Di Giovanni,
Vanity Fair,
3 July 2026
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.
Noun
In the post, Clements shared a candid photo of George breastfeeding her baby boy, alongside shots of her trip through the French countryside and some photos of her older children.
—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
6 July 2026
She’s spent most of her life in King’s Landing; raised young boys in King’s Landing.
—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 July 2026
Longer, thicker vocal folds vibrate more slowly, which is why a boy’s voice drops roughly an octave over adolescence while a girl’s drops only slightly.
—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2026
The Nationals’ Youth Baseball Academy in Southeast, a staple since 2013, is a wonderful venue for both boys’ baseball teams in middle and high schools, and for girls’ softball teams.
—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
4 July 2026
One boy, 12, succumbed to the heat and passed out, with EMS medics and police rushing to help him, according to PIX 11.
—
Julian Roberts-Grmela,
New York Daily News,
4 July 2026
As a boy in the mid-1760s, George Forster traveled with his father deep into Russia.
—
Jenny Uglow,
The New York Review of Books,
4 July 2026
But both are concerned as heck about their missing boy, Carter, who is having some growing-up issues with his parents.
—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
3 July 2026
After several agonizing days, the city fell, and the Dutch UN peacekeeping forces helped separate the women from the men and boys.
—
Janine Di Giovanni,
Vanity Fair,
3 July 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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