boy

A male child is referred to as a boy.

• There’s a boy playing on the playground.
• Those boys are playing football.
• Sarah and her husband are hoping to have a boy. They already have three girls.
• Ahmed and his wife have three little boys under the age of five.
• Hector wants to join the military but he’s still a boy. He has to wait until he turns 18.
• Two teenage boys got lost in the forest; they were found and returned to their families.
• When I was a boy, I played baseball with my friends almost every day in the summer.

He’s a little boy.

In some situations, the word "boy" is used in reference to a man:

• The boys in the office are working through the night.
• Okay boys, let’s go get something to eat.
• Bobby is a good ol’ boy. (good old boy is a term used to describe a man who lives in the south or in a rural area.)
• You can tell that Carl is a part of the old boys network. (The old boys network is a reference to men who are in control of a particular situation, organization, business, etc. It’s not an actual network.)

He’s part of the old boys network.

The word "boyfriend" is used for a romantic relationship. This word can be used for a boy or a man of any age.

• Tracy has a boyfriend.
• Olivia divorced her husband two years ago, but she has a new boyfriend whom she might marry.
• How many boyfriends have you had?

The word "boy" can be used as an interjection.

• Oh boy! We’re going to get a puppy.
• Boy! Something stinks!
• Boy oh boy! You’re in trouble.

The use of "bad boy" has recently become popular when referring to a thing. This is a type of slang, but it’s not easy to use.

• Okay, let’s fire up this bad boy and get going. (bad boy = a cool car)
• You got a new computer. Let’s have a look at that bad boy.

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July 2, 2016