boy
boy — noun
- boysingular
- boysplural
1. a child or teenager who is male, or sometimes a young man.
a child or teenager who is male, or sometimes a young man.
Aiko waved to the shy boy waiting by the school gate.
boy referring to a male child in a concrete scene
The doctor said the baby boy was healthy and strong.
common collocation: baby boy
Two older boys helped Wen carry his bike up the stairs.
As a small boy, Ravi loved drawing buses on scrap paper.
pattern: as a boy = during childhood
- baby boy
- little boy
- young boy
- school boy
- girl
female child or teenager
Grammar Patterns
boy + age/size word
as a boy
Usage Note
Usually refers to a child or teenager. Distinguish from sense 5, where 'the boys' can mean adult male friends.
2. someone's male child, especially when a parent or family member is talking about
someone's male child, especially when a parent or family member is talking about him.
Priya has two boys, and both play the violin after school.
family use: have + number + boys
Omar phoned his mother to say her boy had passed the test.
parent's point of view: her boy
The farmer walked home with his youngest boy after sunset.
Mrs. Chen packed lunch for both boys before the early bus.
- two boys
- both boys
- youngest boy
- her boy
- daughter
female child in relation to a parent
Grammar Patterns
have + number + boys
my/her/their boy
Usage Note
Used from a parent's or family's point of view. Distinguish from sense 1, which simply names a male child without the family relationship.
Common Mistakes
3. an informal word for a male friend, or for a group of men you know well.
an informal word for a male friend, or for a group of men you know well.
The boys from college meet every August at the same beach house.
informal plural: the boys
After work, Omar grabbed noodles with the boys from his team.
with the boys = with male friends
Come on, boys, the taxi is here and we're late already.
direct address to a familiar male group
Nadia laughed when her uncle said, 'Ask one of the boys downstairs.'
- the boys
- with the boys
- one of the boys
- my boys
Grammar Patterns
the boys
with the boys
one of the boys
Usage Note
Often plural. It works best for your own male friends or a familiar group; about unrelated adult men, it can sound too casual or patronizing.
Common Mistakes
4. used after another noun for a young male worker, as in 'office boy' or 'delivery
used after another noun for a young male worker, as in 'office boy' or 'delivery boy'; using it for an adult man is now offensive.
The hotel sent a bellboy upstairs with Hana's heavy suitcases.
compound job title: bellboy
At sixteen, Yusuf worked as a delivery boy for the bakery.
pattern: work as a delivery boy
The old manager still says office boy, which sounds rude today.
dated job title noted as rude today
A sign sought a stable boy to help feed the horses.
- office boy
- delivery boy
- stable boy
- bellboy
- boss
person in charge rather than a junior worker
Grammar Patterns
noun + boy
work as a/the ... boy
Usage Note
Usually appears inside older or fixed job titles. Using 'boy' on its own for an adult male worker can sound insulting or racist.
Common Mistakes
5. someone described through the place or background he comes from, such as a Londo
someone described through the place or background he comes from, such as a London boy or a farm boy.
Diego is a London boy who still supports the same club.
place name + boy
To her classmates, Sven was the farm boy from northern Jutland.
background label: farm boy
The article described Jin as a Seoul boy with big city confidence.
Though he lives abroad now, Tariq is still a Cairo boy to his cousins.
- London boy
- farm boy
- local boy
- town boy
- outsider
someone not from that place or group
Grammar Patterns
place/background word + boy
Usage Note
Most often follows a place or background word. Distinguish from sense 1: the key idea here is origin or social background, not age.
6. a warm, approving name for the soldiers of your own country.
a warm, approving name for the soldiers of your own country.
Families gathered at the station to cheer the boys heading north.
the boys referring affectionately to soldiers
The old poster asked everyone to send warm socks to our boys.
fixed phrase: our boys
At the memorial, the mayor spoke proudly about the boys overseas.
Newspapers called the pilots our boys after the first victory.
- our boys
- the boys overseas
- cheer the boys
- support our boys
- troops
neutral and standard military term
- servicemen
more formal and explicitly male
- forces
broader, often including the whole military
- enemy
the opposing side rather than your own soldiers
Grammar Patterns
our boys
the boys + place adverb
Usage Note
Usually plural and often preceded by 'our'. The speaker is showing loyalty, sympathy, or pride toward soldiers on their own side.
7. a man viewed as behaving in the rough, playful, or simple way people often assoc
a man viewed as behaving in the rough, playful, or simple way people often associate with men.
At the barbecue, the boys argued happily about which knife was best.
comment on stereotypically male behaviour
When the shelf fell, the boys all tried to fix it without reading the guide.
boys used for a stereotyped male reaction
Leila sighed, 'Boys always turn a quiet game into a contest.'
general statement about men as a type
During the trip, the boys kept comparing watches and hiking shoes.
- typical boy reaction
- boys all together
- woman
adult female person
Grammar Patterns
boys + plural verb in general comments
Usage Note
Common in jokes, complaints, or broad comments about male behaviour. It often leans on stereotype, so use it carefully.
8. a deeply racist and outdated label for a Black adult male, often used by white e
a deeply racist and outdated label for a Black adult male, often used by white employers or officials in the past.
The teacher explained that boy in that 1930 letter is a racist insult.
historical explanation of a racist use
A museum note warned visitors that employers once used boy to belittle Black workers.
boy used to demean Black workers
The actor objected when the script had the sheriff say boy to a Black waiter.
pattern: say boy to someone
In class, Dr. Okafor said the word boy could show racist condescension.
- call someone boy
- use boy as an insult
- the word boy in racist speech
Grammar Patterns
call someone boy
say boy to someone
Usage Note
Historical and racist. Do not use this word for a person. When it appears in books, films, or records, it usually needs explanation rather than repetition.
Common Mistakes
Working all the time without relaxing is not healthy; you need to have fun too.
Mia studied all weekend, but all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, so take a break.
the boys in blue
idiomA phrase used to refer to the police.
The boys in blue arrived quickly after the alarm went off.
Did you see the boys in blue chasing the thief down the street?
boys will be boys
idiomUsed to say that it is normal for boys or men to behave in a noisy or rough way.
When the kids started wrestling, their dad just said, "Boys will be boys."
The broken window was an accident, but boys will be boys.
jobs for the boys
idiomUsed to criticize when someone in power gives jobs to their friends or family instead of hiring fairly.
Many people complained that the new positions were just jobs for the boys.
The mayor's nephew got a city job, which looked like jobs for the boys.
man and boy
idiomFrom when someone was young until they were older, often used to describe a long period of time.
He has worked at that factory, man and boy, for over forty years.
My grandfather fished these rivers, man and boy, since he was ten.
To show who is brave, skilled, or strong enough to handle a difficult situation.
The final exam will separate the men from the boys in this class.
This tough hike will sort out the men from the boys quickly.
boy — exclamation
1. said at the beginning of a sentence when you feel strongly about something, or w
said at the beginning of a sentence when you feel strongly about something, or when you want extra force before what you say next.
Boy, that soup is hot enough to burn your tongue.
Boy, + statement showing strong feeling
Boy, I hope the last bus has not left yet.
Boy, + clause showing worry
Boy, was Aunt Rosa angry about the muddy footprints.
Boy, was + subject + adjective
Boy, what a storm we had after midnight.
Boy, what a + noun for emphasis
- Boy, was ...
- Boy, what a ...
- Boy, I hope ...
- Boy, that ...
Grammar Patterns
Boy, + clause
Boy, was + subject + adjective!
Usage Note
Usually comes at the start of a sentence and is followed by a comma in writing. It strengthens the whole statement rather than naming a male child.
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
'Boy' is the normal everyday word for a male child. 'Child' is broader and does not show gender, so it works when sex is unknown or unimportant. 'Kid' is very common in speech and feels more relaxed than 'boy'. 'Lad' is mainly British and can sound regional, warm, or slightly old-fashioned depending on context. 'Son' is different from all the others because it shows family relationship, not just age or sex. So you can say 'A boy was waiting outside the shop', 'The child was waiting outside the shop' if gender does not matter, 'The kids were still in the yard' in casual speech, 'a local lad' in British English, and 'Their son is ten' when speaking as parents.
Etymology
The word appears in Middle English in the 1200s. Early uses could mean a servant, a rough young fellow, or a common male, and only later did the main everyday sense narrow to 'male child'. Its deeper origin is still uncertain. One suggested line connects it with an Old French word linked to being bound or in service, while other scholars see a possible link with Germanic words for a young man or a knave. What is clear is the semantic shift: English moved from a social label to the ordinary family word used today.