good boy
Americannoun
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good boys
plural
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(used to express approval to a young male child, a male domestic animal, or facetiously to a man).
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Informal. a man or boy who obediently follows expectations or conventions, or appears to do so.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
I scratched his neck and cradled his chest as she told him he was a really good boy and we loved him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
"Anyone would wish to have a son like my son... he's a good boy," his mother, Verena, told local media.
From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025
"The guys who have worked with him definitely know that's not the case. He's a good boy, he wants to listen, he'll take things in."
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025
We all agree he is a very good boy, and start to relax.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 20, 2024
Fred lay down and put his head back in Abby’s lap so she could pet it while she talked to a good boy who wasn’t a dog.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
