boy
- noun
- /bɔɪ/
- The young boy chased his dog around the yard.
- boys and girls
- older boys
- a young boy
Especially if you're a young boy, that's no good.
- Especially if you're a young boy, that's no good.
- Turns out a young boy got the video.
- Now I'm going to head home, see the boys, see my doggy.
- He brings up her two boys as as his own.
- Families, men, women, girls, boys of all ages.
- So my other brother, there's five boys, six boys, one girl.
- That has caused boys to grow up confused.
- He's written the book on boys, on only boys and men.
- Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back.
- But when I walk past a group of teenage boys I shit my pants.
- Who will cry for the little boy who cries inside of me?
- So I'm a lucky boy to play with Christian.
Examples
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Boys, little boys being boys, they started playing football.
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When Rabbi Isaac Meir was still a boy, his mother took him with her to Kozienice.
Academic text (2011) -
Turns out a young boy got the video.
-
I know a well brought up boy when I see one.
-
Each day when I arrived at their home, all three boys were typically online.
Academic text (2015) -
I am not that weak little boy anymore.
-
Two boys, two girls, and a dog named Violet.
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When I was a boy, my village was attacked by raiders from the northern plains.
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Some teachers observe that the boys in a classroom are louder than the girls.
Academic text (2012) -
Ever since I was a boy I've been afraid of clowns.
Synonyms
An informal word for a man or boy
People use it for a boy or young man when they speak in a friendly way
A man or boy used in informal speech
A young person, often a boy or young man
A boy who goes to school
A friendly name adults use for a young boy
A young man or boy in Spanish-speaking countries
A kind word adults use to call a boy they care about
A friendly word people use for a boy or young man
A friendly informal word from Ireland and Wales for a boy or man
A young boy people call in a warm, friendly way in Jewish families
A boy often in old stories or poems
A small boy people call in a friendly, playful way
Antonyms
Idioms
- Informal
A person who feels alone and confused, often singled out by others to fill a special role
Compounds
A worldwide group that teaches boys outdoor skills like camping and good citizenship
- Informal
A young man who delivers food and packages to homes by bicycle or motorbike
- Offensive
A person who depends too much on their mother and does not make their own decisions
A boy who belongs to a youth group that teaches outdoor skills and helps the community
- Slur
A white man often in the southern US who is friendly but supports his group and resists change
- Slur
A white man from the southern US who is friendly but often has unfair views and favors other men
A national United States organization that teaches young people character, citizenship, and leadership through scouting
- Literature
Men from the same schools who use connections to help each other get jobs and often keep others out
- Archaic
A young British man in the 1950s and 1960s who wore long jackets and narrow trousers and acted rebellious
- Informal
A person who is too innocent about how the world works and trusts others easily
- Archaic
A young man who does simple office tasks like running errands and delivering messages
- Slur
A white man from the southern US who is friendly, loyal to his group, and sometimes intolerant
- Archaic
A young man in 1950s Britain who wore clothes from the early 1900s and liked rock and roll
- Offensive
A man who has casual sex without wanting a relationship and often uses people
- Offensive
A person who depends too much on their mother and cannot make their own decisions
- Offensive
A man or boy who depends too much on his mother and cannot make decisions alone
- Archaic
A fashionable young man from Chelsea in London who wears stylish clothes and acts confident
- Informal
A young man admired for soft, pretty looks and stylish clothes, often in fashion or pop culture
How Old
Surface Forms
Etymology
Boy is a very old English word that once meant a 'young male servant' or helper. That's why today boy usually means a 'male child' or young male person.