boy
Americannoun
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a male child, from birth to full growth, especially one less than 18 years of age.
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a young man who lacks maturity, judgment, etc.
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Informal. a grown man, especially when referred to familiarly.
He liked to play poker with the boys.
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a son.
Sam's oldest boy is helping him in the business.
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a male who is from or native to a given place.
He's a Mississippi boy.
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(used with a singular or plural verb) boys,
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a range of sizes from 8 to 20 in garments made for boys.
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a garment in this size range.
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the department or section of a store where these garments are sold.
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boys, military personnel, especially combat soldiers.
Support the boys overseas.
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Disparaging and Offensive. a term used to refer to or address a man considered by the speaker to be inferior in ethnicity, nationality, or occupational status.
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a young male servant; page.
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Offensive. (in India, China, Japan, etc.) a male servant, working as a butler, waiter, houseboy, etc.
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Nautical. an apprentice seaman or fisherman.
interjection
noun
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a male child; lad; youth
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a man regarded as immature or inexperienced
he's just a boy when it comes to dealing with women
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See old boy
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informal a group of men, esp a group of friends
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derogatory (esp in former colonial territories) a Black person or native male servant of any age
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a jockey or apprentice
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short for boyfriend
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youthful indiscretion or exuberance must be expected and tolerated
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informal appointment of one's supporters to posts, without reference to their qualifications or ability
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informal the right tool for a particular task
that's the boy to cut it
interjection
Sensitive Note
During the slavery and Jim Crow eras, white southerners would use the term boy to refer to or address a Black adult male, implying that Black people were inferior. In the meaning “native male servant,” boy was originally used in colonial territories and in the ports of China, Japan, etc., through which trade with foreign countries was permitted by special treaty.
Usage
Where does the word boy come from? Like girl, boy dates back to around 1250–1300. Also like the word girl, the ultimate origin of the word boy is obscure. There are some clues to the roots of boy, however. It might be based on the Old English Bōia, a male given name. Furthermore, boy is related to the Frisian boi, "young man," and the German Bube, "knave, boy, lad." (Frisian, a language spoken in the northern Netherlands, is the Germanic language most closely related to English.) Interestingly, that German sense of "knave" is close in meaning to “male servant,” one of the earliest uses of boy. Boy isn't alone: it finds lots of company in other English words that seem simple but whose origins are not. Discover more in our slideshow “‘Dog,’ ‘Boy,’ And Other Words That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of boy
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English boy(e), perhaps after Old English Bōia a man's name; cognate with Frisian boi “young man”; akin to Old English bōfa, Old Norse bōfi, Old High German Buobo a man's name ( German Bube “knave” (dialectal “boy, lad”)
Explanation
A boy is a male child. When a baby is born, the doctor or midwife often says, "It's a girl!" or "It's a boy!" A boy usually grows up to be a man, just as a girl most often becomes a woman. A delivery boy is a young man whose job involves taking pizzas to people's homes, and you might call to your dog, "Here, boy!" unless your dog is female. Boy is also an exclamation: "Oh boy! I can't wait for my vacation next week!" The Old English root is boie, "boy," but also "servant" or "commoner."
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.
See Examples For:
District Judge Amar Mehta told the boy: "Your case is too serious to be tried in this court."
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
He was being a naughty boy hoping to make me laugh.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Thirty years ago a teenage boy, traveling abroad and without parents for the first time, came upon a scene of staggering destruction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
A long-overdue evaluation reveals that he is a bright boy trapped by a language disorder.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The boy on the fiddle turns a knob on an oversize boom box, cranks up the volume, and starts strumming.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
In Scotland, Freya replaced Olivia as the most popular name for girls, according to data from National Records of Scotland, while Noah held the top spot for boys.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
The rescued victims include 41 men, 11 women, six boys and nine girls, Prime Minister Mark Phillips said in a statement Sunday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
These figures are triple and double the national average for girls and boys, respectively.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The team examined 225 newborns, including 100 boys and 125 girls.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
The boys grunting and not saying much at all, and Mila peppering me with questions that I did my best to answer.
From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler
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.
