BOYの定義と意味 | Dictionary.com

BOY Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com Synonyms boy American [boi] / bɔɪ / 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 British / bɔɪ / 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 informal a 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 informal appointment of one's supporters to posts, without reference to their qualifications or ability informal the right tool for a particular task that's the boy to cut it "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 interjection an exclamation of surprise, pleasure, contempt, etc boy, is he going to be sorry! "Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 boy Idioms More idioms and phrases containing boy fair-haired boy mama's boy separate the men from the boys whipping boy 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. Usage 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." Etymology Origin of boy 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”) Explanation A boy is a male child. When a baby is born, the doctor or midwife often says, "It's a girl!" or "It's a boy !" A boy usually grows up to be a man, just as a girl most often becomes a woman. A delivery boy is a young man whose job involves taking pizzas to people's homes, and you might call to your dog, "Here, boy !" unless your dog is female. Boy is also an exclamation: "Oh boy ! I can't wait for my vacation next week!" The Old English root is boie , "boy," but also "servant" or "commoner." Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com Example Sentences Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com. Jack Thorne, who co-wrote last year’s prize-winning “Adolescence,” returns with another story of fractured childhood with an admirable, engrossing new adaptation of William Golding’s much-taught novel of boy castaways, “The Lord of the Flies.” From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2026 What was it like to hear that as a boy? From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026 "We witnessed this young boy showing us what enormous potential he clearly has, and I'm almost stunned with how he has coped this season," Hill told BBC Radio 5 Live. From BBC • May 3, 2026 So long to the old rule of “A high school boy does not need much spending money,” they wrote. From The Wall Street Journal • May 2, 2026 She missed this boy for lots of reasons. From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith Related Words child kid little one young one youngster youth Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023 Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.