boy

[boi]

noun

1. a male child, from birth to full growth, especially one less than 18 years of age.

2. a young man who lacks maturity, judgment, etc.

3. Informal.,  a grown man, especially when referred to familiarly.

   He liked to play poker with the boys.

4. a son.

   Sam's oldest boy is helping him in the business.

5. a male who is from or native to a given place.

   He's a Mississippi boy.

6. (used with a singular or plural verb),  boys,

   1. a range of sizes from 8 to 20 in garments made for boys.

   2. a garment in this size range.

   3. the department or section of a store where these garments are sold.

7. boys, military personnel, especially combat soldiers.

   Support the boys overseas.

8. 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.

9. a young male servant; page.

10. Offensive.,  (in India, China, Japan, etc.) a male servant, working as a butler, waiter, houseboy, etc.

11. Nautical.,  an apprentice seaman or fisherman.

interjection

1. an exclamation of wonder, approval, etc., or of displeasure or contempt.

boy

/ bɔɪ /

noun

1. a male child; lad; youth

2. a man regarded as immature or inexperienced

   he's just a boy when it comes to dealing with women

3. See old boy

4. informal,  a group of men, esp a group of friends

5. derogatory,  (esp in former colonial territories) a Black person or native male servant of any age

6. a jockey or apprentice

7. short for boyfriend

8. youthful indiscretion or exuberance must be expected and tolerated

9. informal,  appointment of one's supporters to posts, without reference to their qualifications or ability

10. informal,  the right tool for a particular task

    that's the boy to cut it

interjection

1. an exclamation of surprise, pleasure, contempt, etc

   boy, is he going to be sorry!

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of boy¹

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”)

Word History and Origins

Origin of boy¹

C13 (in the sense: male servant; C14: young male): of uncertain origin; perhaps from Anglo-French abuié fettered (unattested), from Latin boia fetter

Idioms and Phrases

• fair-haired boy
• mama's boy
• separate the men from the boys
• whipping boy

Example Sentences

His aunt Ann Becker recalled in “Happy Forever”: “I can remember my mother shaking her head and saying, ‘That boy is so smart — he shouldn’t be so silly.’”

From Los Angeles Times

The nine boys of Troop 26 set off on Aug. 2 for a six-night trek through the high Sierra north of Yosemite.

From Los Angeles Times

Like most young girls with big dreams, there’s only one thing that can slow her forward momentum and that is, of course, a boy.

From Los Angeles Times

The jury failed to reach verdicts on two other defendants, a man and a boy, and a retrial will be held in 2026.

From BBC

When I was in the boys' team, he was a painter and decorator, then helped with the team on the weekends.

From BBC

Related Words

• child 
• kid 
• little one www.thesaurus.com
• young one 
• youngster 
• youth 

When To Use

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."