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
The blackmailer continues to call her, demanding money in exchange for keeping her cam-boy secrets.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Janet shares a lot of scenes with different characters, like Robbie (Morris), Lonnie (Abraham Popoola) or even Frankie (Cary Christopher), the little boy who’s friendly with Ben.
—Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
The Breens were a family of six boys.
—Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 29 May 2026
The incidents involve teenage boys who alleged that a man, who was later revealed to be Moore, came into their rooms and touched them at night, according to court records.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
Sunny Hills’ boys golf team missed a spot in the CIF State championships last season by two strokes.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
Court documents described O'Connor providing a boy with a condom and pushing him into a room with an intoxicated girl, who later escaped and locked herself in a bathroom.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 28 May 2026
The grant news comes after the Islamic Center of San Diego shooting last week where two teenage boys shot and killed three people before turning their guns on themselves.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026
One of two boys, Jay Mills Daniel was born in Cushing, Oklahoma, on June 1, 1943.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 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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Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026
Janet shares a lot of scenes with different characters, like Robbie (Morris), Lonnie (Abraham Popoola) or even Frankie (Cary Christopher), the little boy who’s friendly with Ben.
—Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
The Breens were a family of six boys.
—Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 29 May 2026
The incidents involve teenage boys who alleged that a man, who was later revealed to be Moore, came into their rooms and touched them at night, according to court records.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2026
Sunny Hills’ boys golf team missed a spot in the CIF State championships last season by two strokes.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 29 May 2026
Court documents described O'Connor providing a boy with a condom and pushing him into a room with an intoxicated girl, who later escaped and locked herself in a bathroom.
—Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 28 May 2026
The grant news comes after the Islamic Center of San Diego shooting last week where two teenage boys shot and killed three people before turning their guns on themselves.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 28 May 2026
One of two boys, Jay Mills Daniel was born in Cushing, Oklahoma, on June 1, 1943.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/boy. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
boy
noun1
: a male child from birth to young manhood
2
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