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Synonyms

boyfriend

American  
[boi-frend] / ˈbɔɪˌfrɛnd /

noun

  1. a frequent or favorite male companion; beau.

  2. a male friend.

  3. a male lover.

adjective

  1. pertaining to or noting clothing and accessories for women that are inspired by men's fashions.

    roomy and comfortable boyfriend jeans;

    an oversize boyfriend watch.
boyfriend British  
/ ˈbɔɪˌfrɛnd /

noun

  1. a male friend with whom a person is romantically or sexually involved; sweetheart or lover

"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 boyfriend

First recorded in 1895–1900; boy + friend

Explanation

A boyfriend is a male romantic partner. Your cousin might ask if she can bring her boyfriend to the family Thanksgiving dinner this year. Usually, your boyfriend is a boy or man you're romantically involved with. Your aunt might join a dating site after breaking up with her boyfriend, and your ten year old neighbor might announce she has a boyfriend after a boy leaves a candy bar on her desk. The words boyfriend and girlfriend first appeared in the early 1900s, around the start of modern dating in the US.

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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.

There is a photo of Saar with singer Len Chandler, her boyfriend at the time, and he’s wearing a custom leather vest she made for him.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

Her mother told reporters that her daughter had a boyfriend named David.

From Barron's • Apr. 20, 2026

In the early hours of 19 July 2003, a 33-year-old mother of two was walking home alone through a semi-rural part of Salford after a blazing row with her boyfriend.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2026

It’s not too late for your boyfriend to start saving for retirement, and now that he is in his 50s, he can even make catch-up contributions.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 16, 2026

I bet feeling good about yourself for being brave feels tons better than something silly like having a boyfriend.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.