boy toy

[boi toi]

noun

Slang: Usually Disparaging.

1. Also toy boy a young man noted for his good looks and sexual prowess, especially one who maintains relationships with older, more powerful people.

2. a man regarded as a sex object.

Sensitive Note

This term is usually used with disparaging intent. But it can also be used playfully or affectionately, as when referring to one's lover.

Word History and Origins

Origin of boy toy¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

Her partner is actor Leo Woodall, her “White Lotus” co-star who played Jack, a young British boy toy who may be up to no good.

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Adult film star John C. Holmes, drug kingpin Eddie Nash, famed entertainer Liberace and his “boy toy” Scott Thorson were among the colorful personalities caught up in the case.

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“Betsabee Romero has radically feminized the classic boy toy, gilding the chrome on a 1955 Ford, painting its canvas-covered exterior in a lush floral pattern worthy of an offering to the Virgin of Guadalupe and filling its interior with layers of dried roses,” Knight wrote.

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In truth, most people who care are pleased with the pop star's latest choice of a boy toy, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

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Holly Frazier called him her “boyfriend,” and a few of the dance students joked that he was her “boy toy.”

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