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old boy

American  
[ohld boi, ohld boi, ohld boi] / ˈoʊld ˈbɔɪ, ˈoʊld ˌbɔɪ, ˌoʊld ˈbɔɪ /

noun

  1. Informal. an adult male, especially a Southerner.

  2. a lively elderly man.

  3. Chiefly British. an alumnus, especially of a boys' preparatory or public school.

  4. Chiefly British. old chap.


old boy British  

noun

  1. (sometimes capitals) a male ex-pupil of a school

  2. informal

    1. a familiar name used to refer to a man

    2. an old man

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of old boy

First recorded in 1595–1605

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Taking a short break from running a practice for 50 excited five to 10 year old boys, coach Mahmud Jandia told AFP he hoped the field would remain.

From Barron's

Gaza's health ministry said a two-week old boy named Mohammed Abu al-Khair had died of hypothermia on Monday, two days after he had been admitted to hospital and placed in intensive care.

From BBC

“The old schemer was hiding in the woods. I flushed him out of the bushes like a hound flushes out a fox. A merry hunt it was, wouldn’t you say, Eddie, old boy?”

From Literature

The CDC estimated that in 2022, about 1 in 12 eight-year old boys in California had autism - the highest rate for boys in the study across 16 US states.

From BBC

Manchester City stepped into a new era at the revamped Fifa Club World Cup - but it was one of their old boys who stole the show in Philadelphia.

From BBC