boys

noun

plural of boy
1
as in kids
a male person who has not yet reached adulthood a giggling little boy ran by

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in boyfriends
a male romantic companion their teenaged daughter has a new boy, and she's just crazy about him

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of boys The boisterous, perhaps even hard-to-corral high school teenage boys would go silent. — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 30 Aug. 2026 Ryker Huther is tied for first with 66 for Circle Christian boys golf on the first day of the Titan Invitational. — Steve Gorches, The Orlando Sentinel, 29 Aug. 2026 The bill requires the California Department of Health’s Office of Suicide Prevention to add boys and men to its existing anti-suicide efforts. — Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026 Eala would often partner with him against boys his age, frequently facing the brunt of the action. — Albert Samaha, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 Norwegians are girls who love girls, boys who like boys, and girls and boys who are fond of each other…. — Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026 More than 10,000 people, including many children, died during the two-year siege of Sarajevo and more than 7,000 Muslims, mostly men and boys were slaughtered within a few days in Srebrenica in July 1995. — Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026 Behind that identity, Smith reached out to boys in the Durango area as young as 12. — Logan Smith, CBS News, 22 Aug. 2026 His two boys — who are 6 and 8 — spent their summer days hiking, swimming, and going to sailing camps and their nights watching (and talking) Boston Red Sox baseball. — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boys
  1. kids
  2. boyfriends
  3. teenagers
  4. beaux
  5. lads
  6. youths
Noun
  • In the center of town, check out Inquiring Minds Bookstore for used and new books with a great kids’ section or Enoki for an eclectic mix of Asian pantry items and vintage clothing.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Sky had a plan for Bake Off that would involve ditching spin-off series, including the professionals and kids’ versions.
    — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of kids
Noun
  • The tired, the sick, the hungry, the famous and tons of ex-boyfriends, all regretting their wrongs.
    — Courtney Love, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
  • As well as the two ur-bad boyfriends from HBO’s Girls Christopher Abbott and Adam Driver who will portray, respectively, Professor Charles Xavier and Nathaniel Milbury/Mister Sinister.
    — Chris Lee, Vulture, 16 Aug. 2026
Definition of boyfriends
Noun
  • But that sympathy can’t quite make up for the galling fact of Nelson’s sons, now teenagers stuck in limbo as a father figure stubbornly insists on courting further ruin.
    — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The teen is being charged as an adult under Georgia's SB440 law, which gives adult superior courts jurisdiction over teenagers aged 13 to 17 accused of specific violent felonies.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of teenagers
Noun
  • So are their girlfriends and wives, who support their beaus in stadiums and at home.
    — Kate Hogan, PEOPLE, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Despite some very not-so-subtle hints from yours truly, my past beaus have never gifted me a handbag on Valentine’s Day, either.
    — Michelle Baricevic, InStyle, 26 Jan. 2026
Definition of beaux
Noun
  • Kyle Walker and even some of the foreign lads were taking the p***.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
  • About how many pounds of fish do each of these strapping, 1,100-lb lads eat per day?
    — AJ Willingham, AJC.com, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of lads
Noun
  • On that day, the Supreme Court ruled that the state of Colorado’s ban on conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youths violated the 1st Amendment’s free-speech clause.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Both youths were taken to Elmhurst Hospital in stable condition.
    — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of youths

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Cite this Entry

“Boys.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boys. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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