1
as in kids
a male person who has not yet reached adulthood
a giggling little boy ran by
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in boyfriends
a male romantic companion
their teenaged daughter has a new boy, and she's just crazy about him
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of boys
After all, many people engage in self-pleasure; many women get their periods; many boys have ejaculated in their sleep.
—
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2026
The behavior is especially impactful for young boys whose brains are still developing; teenagers’ executive functioning, abstract thinking and decision-making skills continue to form through age 25.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
For the second straight year, the Dynamic Prep boys team was chosen for the prestigious Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals.
—Greg Riddle, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
The Texas high school boys soccer playoffs are here.
—Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026
What was the best boys high school basketball team in Illinois history?
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The year before, Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova had published a YA novel, Summer in a Pioneer Tie, about a budding romance between two boys in a Soviet Pioneer camp.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
One of his friends was Mater Dei boys basketball coach Gary McKnight.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 12 Mar. 2026
The eyeball test said the attendance for a boys basketball game in Fort Worth, Texas, was bigger than the crowd for the Pitt-Stanford ACC Tournament game played on Tuesday in Charlotte.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2026
Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2026
The behavior is especially impactful for young boys whose brains are still developing; teenagers’ executive functioning, abstract thinking and decision-making skills continue to form through age 25.
—Rachel Hale, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
For the second straight year, the Dynamic Prep boys team was chosen for the prestigious Chipotle High School Basketball Nationals.
—Greg Riddle, Dallas Morning News, 18 Mar. 2026
The Texas high school boys soccer playoffs are here.
—Colby Gordon, Austin American Statesman, 18 Mar. 2026
What was the best boys high school basketball team in Illinois history?
—Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
The year before, Elena Malisova and Katerina Silvanova had published a YA novel, Summer in a Pioneer Tie, about a budding romance between two boys in a Soviet Pioneer camp.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
One of his friends was Mater Dei boys basketball coach Gary McKnight.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 12 Mar. 2026
The eyeball test said the attendance for a boys basketball game in Fort Worth, Texas, was bigger than the crowd for the Pitt-Stanford ACC Tournament game played on Tuesday in Charlotte.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boys
Noun
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In mere hours, central Madrid’s historic coffee spot, Café Comercial, will be thronged with content creators, micro-influencers and ‘cool kids’ attending the first in a rolling series of YSL Beauty activations, each envisioned as a block party.—
Joe Bobowicz,
Vogue,
20 Mar. 2026
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The kids naturally played hoops, too.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Checkers ice out the Islanders Besides book lovers discussing their book boyfriends and favorite tropes there was a hockey game Friday night.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Parker played one of Grace’s boyfriends, Josh, on Will & Grace for a five-episode arc in 2000.—
Alejandra Gularte,
Vulture,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Police later said four teenagers had been detained in a car near another synagogue in Rotterdam.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
More than half of teenagers are using the technology for schoolwork, a Pew Research Center report released last month found.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Despite some very not-so-subtle hints from yours truly, my past beaus have never gifted me a handbag on Valentine’s Day, either.—
Michelle Baricevic,
InStyle,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The year was 1994, and a handful of Irish lads were gathered at a hotel in Northern Ireland to celebrate Colin Cather’s pending nuptials.—
Abby Ellin,
Washington Post,
14 Mar. 2026
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Hurzeler had better hope his lads don’t fall behind.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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One reason intervention and prevention is a challenge is that concerning behaviors demonstrated by youths are becoming more complex, often influenced by digital subcultures, Kilpin said.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
19 Mar. 2026
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Doubling down on detention Despite its limited capacity, the Allegheny County Highland Detention Center dashboard shows 220 youths were detained at Highland in 2025.—
Jeffrey Shook,
The Conversation,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Boys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boys. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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