sonny
noun
little son (often used as a familiar term of address to a boy).
sonny
1 American
[suhn-ee]
/ ˈsʌn i /
noun
-
sonnies
plural
-
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
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
See Examples For:
“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
The obvious reply for Darling would have been along the lines of: while you've been watching I've been doing it, sonny.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 29, 2010
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
You'll have to wait until half-time for that sonny!
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2010
She said, “What you got there, sonny boy?”
From "Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck
Only Sonny and the viewer notice the difference, which suggests that he may be wrong, or, alternatively, that everyone else is.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Sonny and Chloe call each other “Bobo,” and in a nice, authentic touch we see he has written that nickname in ballpoint pen on the white sidewall of his sneaker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
Crocombe is one of five specialist fast bowlers to be given a multi-year deal, joining Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Sonny Baker and Josh Tongue.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
That January, she and her son, Sonny, had evacuated their home in Altadena, Calif., as the Eaton fires swept the region.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
Aunt Gina, Aunt ’Chelle, Sonny, and Malik wait for us in the parking lot.
From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas
"You 'ear, sonnies?" remarked Bindle, turning to the passive six.
From Adventures of Bindle by Herbert George Jenkins
Ay, your pa’son comes by fate: ’tis heads or tails, like pitch-halfpenny, and no choosing; so we must take en as he is, my sonnies, and thank God he’s no worse, I suppose.”
From Under the Greenwood Tree, or, the Mellstock quire; a rural painting of the Dutch school by Thomas Hardy
“Hullo, my sonnies, here you be, then!” said Reuben Dewy at length, standing up and blowing forth a vehement gust of breath.
From Under the Greenwood Tree, or, the Mellstock quire; a rural painting of the Dutch school by Thomas Hardy
But for a quire to lose the treble, why, my sonnies, you may so well lose your .
From Under the Greenwood Tree, or, the Mellstock quire; a rural painting of the Dutch school by Thomas Hardy
“Rot me, my sonnies, then, if I can tell what a man is from all his members put together, oftentimes.”
From Under the Greenwood Tree, or, the Mellstock quire; a rural painting of the Dutch school by Thomas Hardy
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
