sonny
noun
little son (often used as a familiar term of address to a boy).
sonny
1 American
[suhn-ee]
/ ˈsʌn i /
noun
-
little son (often used as a familiar term of address to a boy).
-
(used as a term of direct address to express contempt, derision, etc.).
No, sonny, you can't park there!
Sonny
2
American
[suhn-ee]
/ ˈsʌn i /
noun
sonny
British
/ ˈsʌnɪ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of sonny
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.
“She’d sing it in her own way to see if it fits, and she would say, ‘How does that sound, sonny?’
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2025
“Come, sonny boy!” he heard her whisper, and with a smile he let go.
From The Guardian • Nov. 17, 2016
We need to save Mako big Joe and big Sam for the vital last 25 mins. look at NZ today sonny Bill and Barrett won them the game.
From BBC • Sep. 19, 2015
Sony was meant to appeal to Americans--a nod to "sonny boy," which was a phrase that was popular in Japan during the 1950s.
From Inc • Mar. 24, 2010
It doesn’t matter. 7TH JUROR: Look, sonny, nobody around here’s gonna tell me what words I understand and what words I don’t.
From "Twelve Angry Men" by Reginald Rose
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.
