boy
noun (boy, boys); interjection (Boy! Oh boy!)
Everyday
- A boy is a male child or a young man. tree →
- «Boy!» or «Oh boy!» is said to show surprise or excitement, mostly in the USA. tree →
- (casual) «The boys» means a group of male friends: «out with the boys»; «boyo» (Wales, Ireland), «laddie» (Scotland) are friendly words for a boy. tree →
- (casual) «Boy» or «good boy» is said to a dog. tree →
- (rude) Calling a grown man «boy» can be an insult; «mummy's boy» teases a boy who is close to his mum. tree →
- (formal) Exams and forms say «male pupil», «a male child», «juvenile» or «a minor». tree →
In the lessons
people counted in a class or group, often next to girls; together they make the class; boys + girls = children; phrases: «a little boy», «boys and girls», «schoolboy», «the boys' team», «boyfriend»; in casual talk «the boys», «lads», «oh boy», «good boy» (to a dog); in rough talk «oi, boy, get over here», «mummy's boy»; in the exam voice «male pupils», «the number of male candidates», «the proportion of boys»
Examples
- There are 14 boys and 16 girls in the class. tree →
- Each boy gets 3 pencils. tree →
- How many more girls than boys are there? tree →
- The boys picked 40 apples. tree →
- The boy next door has a dog. tree →
- Good morning, boys and girls! tree →
- The boys' football team won the cup. tree →
- Oh boy, 3 pizzas just for us! tree →
- Out with the boys, 6 of us, back by 9. tree →
- Good boy, Rex, sit! tree →
- A class comprises 30 pupils, of whom 14 are male. State the number of female pupils. tree →
- Stop teasing him and calling him a mummy's boy. tree →
- He was quite a practical boy. tree →
Note
Plural: boys. Possessive: boy's (one boy), boys' (many boys). A thing counted. Boys + girls = children. Trap: «how many more girls than boys» is a difference, not a sum. «male pupils» in an exam means boys. «Oh boy» counts no boy. Teasing names like «mummy's boy» are unkind.
In Jewish tradition
people counted in a class or group, often next to girls; together they make the class; boys + girls = children; phrases: «a little boy», «boys and girls», «schoolboy», «the boys' team», «boyfriend»; in casual talk «the boys», «lads», «oh boy», «good boy» (to a dog); in rough talk «oi, boy, get over here», «mummy's boy»; in the exam voice «male pupils», «the number of male candidates», «the proportion of boys»
Examples
- And she opened it, and saw it, even the child; and behold a boy that wept. (Torah EXO.2.6, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the boys grew; and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. (Torah GEN.25.27, JPS 1917) tree →
- Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a boy, and thy princes feast in the morning! (Writings ECC.10.16, JPS 1917) tree →
- And the broad places of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the broad places thereof. (Prophets ZEC.8.5, JPS 1917) tree →
- But if I say thus unto the boy: Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way; for the LORD hath sent thee away. (Prophets 1SA.20.22, JPS 1917) tree →
Note
Plural: boys. Possessive: boy's (one boy), boys' (many boys). A thing counted. Boys + girls = children. Trap: «how many more girls than boys» is a difference, not a sum. «male pupils» in an exam means boys. «Oh boy» counts no boy. Teasing names like «mummy's boy» are unkind.
On Mova
- Trees and pragmatics of «boy» in the school dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «boy» in the school dictionary on Mova free.
- Trees and pragmatics of «boy» in the Judaism dictionary: every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- «boy» in the Judaism dictionary on Mova free.
This page in Markdown → https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/boy/