Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for boyfriend. Search instead for boyfriend grabs.
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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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.

The “Brown boy” in reference was the colleague’s boyfriend whom Rana knew, a person familiar with the matter said.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 9, 2026

More recently the 20-year-old from Rugby, in Warwickshire, went glamping in Lincolnshire with her boyfriend, Evan.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

I couldn’t pass up the opportunity, and once my boyfriend landed a remote job, we decided to make the move.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

The woman’s current boyfriend opened the door and saw the other man reach for his waistband before fleeing the scene shortly thereafter, authorities said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

It never occurred to me that I should’ve been more interested in whether or not he was the boyfriend I wanted.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

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.