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boy
[boi]
noun
a male child, from birth to full growth, especially one less than 18 years of age.
a young man who lacks maturity, judgment, etc.
Informal.a grown man, especially when referred to familiarly.
He liked to play poker with the boys.
a son.
Sam's oldest boy is helping him in the business.
a male who is from or native to a given place.
He's a Mississippi boy.
(used with a singular or plural verb)boys,
a range of sizes from 8 to 20 in garments made for boys.
a garment in this size range.
the department or section of a store where these garments are sold.
boys, military personnel, especially combat soldiers.
Support the boys overseas.
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.
a young male servant; page.
Offensive.(in India, China, Japan, etc.) a male servant, working as a butler, waiter, houseboy, etc.
Nautical.an apprentice seaman or fisherman.
interjection
an exclamation of wonder, approval, etc., or of displeasure or contempt.
boy
/ ɔɪ /
noun
a male child; lad; youth
a man regarded as immature or inexperienced
he's just a boy when it comes to dealing with women
See old boy
informala group of men, esp a group of friends
derogatory(esp in former colonial territories) a Black person or native male servant of any age
a jockey or apprentice
short for boyfriend
youthful indiscretion or exuberance must be expected and tolerated
informalappointment of one's supporters to posts, without reference to their qualifications or ability
informalthe right tool for a particular task
that's the boy to cut it
interjection
an exclamation of surprise, pleasure, contempt, etc
boy, is he going to be sorry!
Sensitive Note
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of boy1
51Թ History and Origins
Origin of boy1
Idioms and Phrases
Example Sentences
As Manchester United's golden boy, David Beckham quickly transcended football to become a global celebrity.
“Support your local ICE raid,” read a sign held up by a teenage boy, which also used an epithet to describe how people should treat “foreign friends.”
Sarah, 44, said he was a happy, growing boy who loves to cuddle, walk and play, but she needed to stay fit to keep her strength up as he gets bigger.
In a post on their fundraising page, his mother Amanda said: "We are beyond proud of the journey our Charlie boy has fought."
Since I was a little boy I wanted to be a professional boxer.
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When To Use
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 ō, 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 51Թs That We Don’t Know Where They Came From."
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